Create the chart in the same manner as above, also including the Label Height in the chart data source. Notice that there are now 3 rows for each value, a mid-point has been inserted into the middle of each age range. Unfortunately adding labels requires changing the source data, there needs to be additional columns and rows. Once we have this, we can delete the unsightly numbering on the X-axis. But it would look better if the data labels were directly above or below the columns. The chart will now start to take shape as a variable width column chart or histogram.Īdding data labels to the variable width Chart
Right-click on one of the chart series, click Select Data…įrom the Select Data Source window click Edit from the Horizontal (Category) Axis Labels box. Right-click on the X-axis and select Format Axis…įrom the Format Axis window select Date axis.
Select the cells without the age range column (Cells B12 – F24 in our example).įrom the Ribbon click Insert -> Charts -> See All Charts.įrom the Insert Charts window click All Charts -> Area -> Stacked Area -> OK. The chart can be created with other versions of Excel, however, whilst the options may be in a different place, the principles are the same. Each subsequent category follows a similar pattern, but has more or less zeros before or after the data. The remainder of the points in Cells B17 – B24 are zero (blank). 25 years), the 7.6 is repeated, then reduces to zero. The next two points happen at 7 years over 18 (i.e. Both of these points happen at zero years over 18. Using the 18-25 group as an illustration, the first point is zero (blank), the next point is the value 7.6. Our data starts at 18, but the chart axis starts from zero, therefore the values in Cells A13 – A57 (shown above) are the number of years above 18.Įach category has 4 main points. The first step is to set-up the data in the right way. This data will be used to create this chart. The main data is shown below, Initial Data The chart we will be creating in this example uses fictional data to show customer satisfaction for a product based on various age ranges. They are created by a line chart which has been set to have no color. The data labels in the chart above are also an illusion. This provides us with the ability to create the illusion of columns. It is even possible to plot points in the same place along the x-axis, which results in a vertical line. By changing the x-axis to display a data axis we can plot a point anywhere along the x-axis. Normally, this chart type uses fixed intervals for the x-axis (the bottom axis). To create a variable width column chart we will be using a stacked area chart. With a bit of trickery, it is possible to create this chart: However, it is possible to get creative with a stacked area chart and the correct data layout. This same principle of column width also applies to histograms.Įxcel does not have any settings to change the width of individual columns when using a column chart.
For example, where each column represents different ranges of data. However, in some circumstances, it would be better for the width of each column to be different. In Excel, the standard column chart will display all columns with the same width at regular intervals.