Clustered column charts are a way of displaying data in a graph, where the data is clustered together according to category. This type of chart is most effective when you have a small number of categories and want to compare the values within each category. The bars in a clustered column chart are grouped together, so you can see which category has the largest value and which has the smallest.
Do you want to know how to read and create these column charts? Keep reading to find out how!
Reading Clustered Column Charts
A column chart is a graph that shows how a series of values are distributed. Each column in the graph represents one value, and the columns are grouped together to show how they are related in a certain category. The height of each column represents the value for that data point.
To read this column chart, start by identifying the category that you want to focus on. Next, look at the column for that category and identify the value that is most important. Once you know the category you want to focus on and the most important data point, note which column corresponds to the lowest value and which corresponds to the highest value. Finally, compare the values in the other columns to the value in the column that you are focusing on.
Creating Clustered Column Charts With Excel
There are a few different ways to create these column charts in Excel, but we’ll show you the most efficient way to do it.
To get started, open up a new Excel document and input the data you would like to chart. In this example, we’ll be charting quarterly sales data for a small business.
Once you have your data in Excel, select the Insert tab on the ribbon and click on the Charts button. From here, select the Clustered Column chart type.
This will create a default clustered column chart with the first series of data in the first column, the second series in the second column, and so on.
If you want to change the order of the data in the chart, you can simply click and drag the column headers to rearrange them.
To change the chart’s appearance, select any of the chart elements and use the formatting options that appear on the ribbon. For example, to change the color of the columns, select the Columns option from the Format and Shape menu.
To add a title to your chart, select the Chart Title option from the Format and Text menu. If you want to add a legend, select the Legend option from the Format and Text menu. And that’s all there is to it! You can now create beautiful clustered column charts in Excel with just a few clicks.
The Value of the Clustered Column Chart
Column charts are a popular data visualization tool because they are easy to read and understand. However, when you have a lot of data to visualize, a column chart can become very crowded and difficult to read.
A clustered column chart is a variation of the standard column chart that solves this problem. In a clustered column chart, the data is divided into clusters, with each cluster represented by a single column. This makes the chart easier to read because it is less crowded, and it also makes it easier to compare values because the clusters are arranged in a column.
Charting Your Data
With this guide, you should have all the info you need to read and create these column charts. Clustered column charts are an excellent way to visualize categorized data. So, take advantage of this chart and better analyze your data.
