How to Create a Frequency Distribution in Excel
At times you want to determine the frequency of each value that appears in the data
for a given variable. When you have a limited number of values such as on a Likert
scale (1 through 5, etc.) you can use the following steps:
1. Open the Excel data file.
2. Click on an open cell somewhere on the data worksheet. Type in the label values.
Underneath this heading type, in consecutive order, the values represented in the
data (for example, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5). Type a 1 in the first cell, a 2 in the cell
beneath it, and so on. In the cell to the right of the label, Values, type the Label
Frequency. To the right of the numeric value 1, highlight downward as many
cells as you have values.
3. Then click on Formulas, then Insert Function from the top toolbar, then, More
Functions, then Statistical, and then select FREQUENCY from the list. Click
OK.
4. A new window will appear. In the top box labeled Data Array type the location of
the data in the Excel file, e.g., A2:A191
5. In the next window labeled Bins Array type within parentheses the values in
consecutive order, e.g., {1,2,3,4,5} Make sure you use the parentheses as shown
here.
6. Do not click OK. Instead, press control, shift, and enter (at the same time). The
frequency distribution will appear in the cells beside your labels.
To create a frequency distribution for data with many values, it is better to create
intervals. So, instead of the label being the same as the individual values you might
use intervals of 10 or 25. For example, 1-10, 11-20, etc. In the Bins Array, you would
type the highest value in each interval, for example, {10,20,30…}.