Practice Excel Skills
1. Download “population data file” from STARS webpage. DO NOT CLICK ON IT. Right click and then
save it to your H: drive. Close explorer and then open the file from your H: drive.
2. Type your name in cell G59.
3. In cell E1 type the heading “Population Density (people/sq. mi.)
4. In cell E2, create a formula to calculate population density (population divided by area).
5. Fill down the population density so that you have a value for each state.
6. In cell B52 have Excel calculate the sum of the population. In cell C53 type “population total”.
7. Sort the file by “region” and then by “state”.
a. Highlight all of the data columns, including the headers
b. Click the Data tab
c. Choose Sort
d. Select “region” from the “Sort by” drop down menu and click “ascending”.
e. Select “State” from the “then by” drop down menu and click” ascending”.
8. Use the subtotal function to calculate the average population density for each region.
a. Highlight all of the data columns, including the headers
b. Click the Data tab
c. Select “region” from the “At each change in” drop down menu
d. Select “average” from the “Use function” drop down menu
e. Select “population density” in the “Add subtotal to:” menu. Make sure it is the only
header checked.
f. Check the “summary below data” box.
9. Use the copy/paste functions to create a new table of region and average population density in
cells G1-G7 and H1-H7.
10. Use the Chart Wizard to create a pie chart that compares the population density for each region.
Title your chart “Average Regional Population Densities”.
11. Place the values of the averages on the pie graph pieces.
a. Click on the pie chart. Right click and select “Format Data Series”
b. Click “Data Labels” tab and select “value”
c. The numbers’ default position is outside the pie. Right click on one of the numbers and
select “format data labels”. Click the “alignment tab and change the label position so
that it is inside the pie pieces.
12. Position the pie chart on the sheet so that the corners of the chart are on cells F10, F23, M10,
and M23
13. Create a table of state (G26-G36), population (H26-H36) and population density (I26-I36) for the
Northeast region only. Widen column G so that the state names do not wrap.
14. Use the data table created in step 13 to create an XY scatter plot of population versus
population density. Properly label your graph and position it on the sheet so that its corners are
on cells F37, F52, M37, and M52.
15. In cell G25 answer the following: Does there appear to be a correlation between region and
population density? Explain. Format cell G25 to wrap the text.
16. In cell G54 answer the following: Does there appear to be a correlation between population and
population density in the northeastern states? Explain. Format cell G54 to wrap text.
17. Set the print area and page setup options so that your data and graphs print on a single page.
Print the page.