Summary

AVERAGEIFS returns the average of values that meet multiple conditions. It works like a more specific version of AVERAGEIF, so instead of checking one rule, you can stack several rules together in the same formula.

This matters when one filter is too broad. You might not want the average for all Sales rows. You might want the average for Sales rows in the North region, or the average for orders after a certain date that are also above a certain amount. That is the kind of job AVERAGEIFS is built for.

Syntax

=AVERAGEIFS(average_range, criteria_range1, criteria1, [criteria_range2, criteria2], ...)

The first argument is always the range of numbers you want to average. After that, each condition is written as a pair: one criteria range and one criteria value.

Arguments

• average_range - [required] The cells that contain the numbers to average.
• criteria_range1 - [required] The first range Excel checks.
• criteria1 - [required] The rule for the first criteria range.
• criteria_range2, criteria2, ... - [optional] More range and criteria pairs. Excel supports up to 127 pairs.

AVERAGEIFS vs Other Functions

The easiest way to choose between these functions is to count how many rules you need.

Using the AVERAGEIFS Function

The key idea is that every condition must match on the same row. If you ask for rows where the department is Sales and the region is North, Excel only averages the values from rows that satisfy both of those checks together. A row that matches one condition but not the other is left out.

The most common mistake is argument order. AVERAGEIFS starts with the numbers you want to average, not the first criteria range. That is different from AVERAGEIF, so it is worth slowing down and checking the first argument whenever a formula does not behave the way you expect.

Criteria can use text, operators, wildcards, and cell references. That means you can combine rules like "Sales", "North*", ">1000", or D1 in the same formula. In practice, using cell references often makes the formula easier to reuse because the report can change without rewriting the formula itself.

Example 1 - Average Sales rows in the North region

This is the basic multi-condition pattern. The value is averaged only when both the department and region match.

=AVERAGEIFS(C1:C10,A1:A10,"Sales",B1:B10,"North") // Averages rows that match both conditions.

Example 2 - Average recent sales above 1000

Here one rule checks the date and the other checks the amount. Both filters must be true for the row to count.

=AVERAGEIFS(B1:B10,A1:A10,">1/1/2026",B1:B10,">1000") // Averages recent values above 1000.

Example 3 - Average active North regions

You can combine a wildcard text match with another text condition to narrow the result without creating helper columns.

=AVERAGEIFS(C1:C10,A1:A10,"North*",B1:B10,"Active") // Averages active rows that start with North.

Example 4 - Use cells for the filters

This version is easier to maintain in a report because the criteria live in cells instead of inside the formula text.

=AVERAGEIFS(C1:C10,A1:A10,D1,B1:B10,D2) // Uses D1 and D2 as the conditions.

Conclusion Recap

• Main job: AVERAGEIFS returns the mean for rows that meet multiple conditions.
• Argument order matters: Start with average_range, then add range and criteria pairs.
• All conditions must match: A row is included only if every rule is true.
• Flexible criteria: You can use text, operators, wildcards, dates, and cell references.
• No matches: If nothing meets all conditions, Excel returns #DIV/0!.
• Best use: Choose AVERAGEIFS when one condition is not specific enough.