Let’s say you want to count the number of employees in a data range and would like to ignore any blank cells. The way to go is to use the COUNTA function.
The COUNTA function counts cells containing any type of information, including error values and empty text (“”). For example, if the range contains a formula that returns an empty string, the COUNTA function counts that value. The COUNTA function does not count empty cells.
Note: Download the sample workbook to practice this exercise.
Applies To: MS Excel 2003, 2007, 2010 and 2013
1. The screen shot below will be used for this example.
2. To count the total number of employees in the data range A3:A19.
- Select cell A20
- Type =Counta(A3:A19)
- Press Enter
- The answer will be 15
3. The Counta function returns 15 and ignores blank cells in the range A3:A19.
