Try this:
=SUMPRODUCT(--(LEFT(A1:A10000,1)="9"))

Counts the number of cells in the range A1:A10000 that start with the digit 9.

Does that help?

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Regards,
Ron


"Qban" wrote:

I have a really interesting question to ask. I am running an experiment that
tests the accuracy of Benford's Law, a mathematical law that predicts how
often a number starts with a certain digit. I want to know if there is a
formula that can count the number of values in an array that start with some
digit "n" and return that value to another cell. I'm talking about tens of
thousands of numbers, so it would really, really help. Thanks.