If you have a long list of items, you could use formulas to count how many times each item occurs in the list. It would take a few steps, including pulling a list of unique items from the list, then creating a formula to count each item.
I find it quicker and easier to create a pivot table to count the list items. You'll have to add a heading to the list, if there isn't one already. Then, create a pivot table from the list, with the same field in the Row Labels area and the Values area.
Watch the Video
To see the steps for using a pivot table to count items in a list, watch this short video.
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Hi Debra,
I'm a big fan of PivotTables, but I also like this kb article on counting unique values
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel/HP030561181033.aspx
The formulas explained in the article are a very clever way of counting uniques.
As long as there are no blank cells in the list, you can use the simplified formula shown below, and it does not have to be entered as an array formula.
=SUM(IF(FREQUENCY(MATCH(MyList,MyList,0),MATCH(MyList,MyList,0))>0,1))
Thanks Ed! It's good to know the alternatives.
[...] | Leave a Comment Tags: count, list, pivot-table There's a video up on Contextures that shows how to count items of the same type in a list using a pivot [...]
[...] at Contextures Blog shows us that sometimes built-in features are the best ones to use. In Count Items in List with Excel Pivot Table uses a Pivot Table to group items and count them. Otherwise you'd need a bunch of formulas, and [...]