Description
Use this function tocalculate the sample standard deviation of a dataset.Can be used with CHILDREFS.
STDEV.S enables you to measure the variability in a dataset when you have a sample of the entire population. This makes it useful for measuring investment risk or analyzing sales performance variability.
Note: STDEV.S assumes that its arguments are a sample of the population. If your data represents the entire population, you should use STDEV.P instead.
Syntax
STDEV.S(number_1, […, number_254])
Inputs
This function accepts the following arguments:
| Name | Required | Description | Valid input |
|---|---|---|---|
number_1 |
Yes | The first number or range in the sample. | A number, a reference to a cell containing a number, a cell range encompassing cells containing numbers, or a formula which results in any of these. |
[number_n] |
No | Additional sample population values. | A number, a reference to a cell containing a number, or a formula which results in either of these. Up to 254 additional values from within the overall population can be considered. |
Example
Sample data
| A | B | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sales |
Region |
|
| 2 | 10000 |
North |
|
| 3 | 15000 |
South |
|
| 4 | 12000 |
East |
|
| 5 | 18000 |
West |
|
| 6 | 13500 |
Central |
Sample formulas
| Use case | Formula | Explanation and Result |
|---|---|---|
| Calculate the sample standard deviation of an entire data set. | =STDEV.S(A2:A6) |
Measures how much the 5 sales figures vary from their average, treating them as a sample rather than the full population. Result: ≈3033.15 |
| Calculate the sample standard deviation of just a subset of a data set. | =STDEV.S(A2:A4) |
Measures the variability of only the first three sales figures. Result: 2516.61 |
| Calculate the sample standard deviation of specific, non-adjacent cells. | =STDEV.S(A2, A4, A6) |
Measures the variability across three individually selected sales figures rather than a contiguous range. Result: ≈1755.94 |
| Measure relative variability by comparing standard deviation to the average. | =STDEV.S(A2:A6)/AVERAGE(A2:A6) |
Divides the standard deviation of all 5 sales figures by their average to express variability as a percentage of the mean (the coefficient of variation). Result: ≈0.2213 (22.13%) |
Notes
- STDEV.S assumes that its arguments are a sample of the population. To use the entire population, use STDEV.P.
- Non-numeric values (empty cells, text values, and logical values)are ignored.
- STDEV.S requires at least two numeric values to calculate; otherwise, it returns a #DIV/0! error.
- The function uses the "n-1" method for calculating standard deviation, which is considered more accurate for samples.
- Large datasets or extreme outliers can affect the accuracy of the standard deviation calculation, as the sample set may not accurately represent the complete dataset.
Tips
- Be careful when interpreting results from small samples, as they may not accurately represent the population's variability.
- Combine STDEV.S with AVERAGE to calculate the coefficient of variation, which allows you to compare the variability of different datasets.