HARMEAN Function in Excel: The Right Average for Rates

⏱ 1 min readUpdated 28 September 2026

StatisticsLevel: ExpertAvailable in: Excel 2007+

In this article
  1. Syntax
  2. Examples
  3. Example 1
  4. Example 2
  5. Related functions

HARMEAN averages rates properly. Drive 60 km/h one way and 40 km/h back, and your average speed is 48, not 50.

Syntax

=HARMEAN(number1, [number2], ...)
Argument What it means
number1… Positive numbers.

Examples

Example 1

=HARMEAN(60, 40)

Returns 48.

Example 2

=HARMEAN(B2:B6)

Average P/E of equal-amount holdings.

GEOMEAN · AVERAGE

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