Count Rows With a Specific Status

Excel & Google Sheets

How it works

COUNTIF scans C2:C20 and counts every cell whose entire contents equal "Complete". The match ignores case — complete, COMPLETE, and Complete all count — but it must be the whole cell, so "Complete (late)" is not counted. The count updates automatically as statuses change, which makes this the standard building block for dashboard summary rows. To count each status, point the criteria at a cell instead of hard-coding the text: =COUNTIF($C$2:$C$20,E2) with the status names listed in column E.

C2:C20

The status column to scan. Lock it as $C$2:$C$20 if you'll copy the formula.

"Complete"

The exact text to count. Not case-sensitive, but the whole cell must match.

When to use it

Use this for the summary section of any tracker: tasks completed, tickets closed, orders shipped, invoices marked Paid. Pair it with a total count to compute a completion percentage.

Common mistakes

• ✕The count is lower than expected because of inconsistent status text.

  ✓Cells with "Completed", "complete " (trailing space), or "Done" won't match "Complete". Standardize the column with a dropdown (Data Validation), or catch variations with a wildcard: =COUNTIF(C2:C20,"Complet*").

• ✕Counting cells that merely contain the word, not equal it.

  ✓COUNTIF matches the entire cell. If your statuses have notes like "Complete - reviewed", use wildcards on both sides: =COUNTIF(C2:C20,"*Complete*").

• ✕Hard-coding the status text in every summary formula.

  ✓Type the status names in cells and reference them: =COUNTIF($C$2:$C$20,E2). One formula copies down for every status, and renaming a status only needs one edit.