Which Excel function is used to count cells containing numeric data?

The function that counts cells containing numeric data is designed specifically for this purpose, making it a straightforward tool for analyzing datasets. In Excel, the COUNT function tallies the number of cells in a specified range that include numeric values, effectively ignoring empty cells, text, and boolean values. This allows users to quickly assess datasets to determine how many entries are numerical, which can be important for statistical analysis and data management.

Other options, while related to data manipulation, serve different functions. COUNTIF, for instance, is used to count cells that meet a specific criterion, not just those containing numbers. The SUM function is focused on adding up values rather than counting them, and the AVERAGE function calculates the mean of a set of numbers instead of counting how many there are. Therefore, the COUNT function is the most appropriate choice for the task of counting only numeric entries within a range.