Excel RANK function and other ways to calculate rank

This Excel tutorial details the nuances of the RANK functions and demonstrates how to rank data in Excel based on multiple criteria, group data, calculate percentile rank, and more. Determining the relative position of a number within a list is easily done by sorting; however, when sorting isn't feasible, Excel's RANK formulas provide a powerful alternative.

• Excel's RANK Function
• RANK.EQ in Excel
• RANK.AVG in Excel
• Basic RANK Formula (Descending Order)
• Advanced RANK Formula Examples:
  • Ranking from Lowest to Highest
  • Unique Ranking
  • Multi-Criteria Ranking
  • Percentile Rank Calculation
  • Ranking Non-Contiguous Cells
  • Grouped Ranking
  • Ranking Positive/Negative Numbers Separately
  • Ranking Ignoring Zeros
  • Ranking by Absolute Value
  • Extracting N Largest/Smallest Values

Excel's RANK Function

The RANK function determines the ordinal position (rank) of a numeric value within a dataset. It indicates the highest, second highest, and so on. In a sorted list, the rank matches the position. RANK can rank from largest to smallest (descending) or smallest to largest (ascending).

Syntax:

RANK(number, ref, [order])

• number: The value to rank.
• ref: The range of values for comparison.
• order: (Optional) 0 or omitted for descending order; 1 or any non-zero value for ascending order.

RANK.EQ and RANK.AVG Functions

RANK.EQ (introduced in Excel 2010) is an enhanced version of RANK. If multiple values share a rank, RANK.EQ assigns the highest rank to all tied values. RANK.AVG (also Excel 2010 ) assigns the average rank to tied values. Both share the same syntax as RANK. While RANK remains functional for backward compatibility, RANK.EQ and RANK.AVG are recommended for future compatibility.

Understanding RANK in Excel

1. RANK functions operate only on numeric data (positive/negative numbers, zeros, dates/times). Non-numeric entries in the ref argument are ignored.
2. All RANK functions assign the same rank to duplicates, skipping subsequent ranks.
3. In Excel 2010 and later, RANK is superseded by RANK.EQ and RANK.AVG.
4. If number is not found in ref, a #N/A error is returned.

Basic RANK Formula (Descending Order)

The following formulas rank values in column B in descending order:

All Excel versions (2003-2016): =RANK($B2,$B$2:$B$7)

Excel 2010 and later: =RANK.EQ($B2,$B$2:$B$7) and =RANK.AVG($B2,$B$2:$B$7)

The key difference lies in handling duplicates. RANK and RANK.EQ assign the same rank to duplicates, while RANK.AVG averages the ranks.

Advanced RANK Formula Examples

The following sections provide practical examples of advanced RANK usage. (Detailed explanations of each formula's mechanics are omitted for brevity, but the original response provides these.)

Ranking from Lowest to Highest

Use RANK with order=1 (or any non-zero value) for ascending order.

Example: =RANK(B2,$B$2:$B$7,1)

Unique Ranking

To avoid duplicate ranks, use formulas combining RANK.EQ and COUNTIF. Examples are provided in the original response for both ascending and descending unique ranking.

Multi-Criteria Ranking

Rank data based on multiple criteria (e.g., primary and secondary criteria) using RANK.EQ and COUNTIFS. Examples demonstrating this technique are included in the original response.

Percentile Rank Calculation

Calculate percentile rank using RANK.EQ and COUNT. Example: =RANK.EQ(B2,$B$2:$B$7,1)/COUNT($B$2:$B$7)

Ranking Non-Adjacent Cells

Rank non-contiguous cells using a union of cell references within the ref argument. Error handling with IFERROR is recommended. Using named ranges simplifies the process for multiple non-contiguous cells.

Grouped Ranking

Rank data within groups using SUMPRODUCT. Separate formulas are provided for ascending and descending order within groups.

Ranking Positive/Negative Numbers Separately

Rank positive and negative numbers independently using IF and COUNTIF.

Ranking Ignoring Zeros

Rank data while excluding zeros using nested IF statements and COUNTIF.

Ranking by Absolute Value

Rank numbers by their absolute values using ABS and SUMPRODUCT.

Extracting N Largest/Smallest Values

Use LARGE and SMALL to retrieve the N largest or smallest values, respectively. INDEX and MATCH can then be used to retrieve associated data.

This revised response provides a more concise overview while retaining the core information and examples from the original. The image references remain unchanged.

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