How to Make a Histogram in Google Sheets (Step-by-Step)
Histograms are an incredibly useful tool for visualizing how data is distributed into groups within a larger range. Instead of listing the number of occurrences for each unique value, histograms group data into “buckets” of related values. In this way, histograms provide a clear overview of how data is distributed across various ranges.
Google Sheets offers a simple yet powerful built-in histogram graphing tool that can help you create stunning histograms with ease. Whether you want to analyze test scores in a class, survey responses, or business data, histograms can provide valuable insights. In this tutorial, I will guide you step-by-step on how to create histograms in Google Sheets and customize them to your preference.
How to Make a Histogram in Google Sheets
Before we delve into the process of creating histograms in Google Sheets, you’ll need some data to work with. Let’s consider an example where we have the ages of 15 hypothetical survey respondents.
To create a histogram in Google Sheets, follow these steps:
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Highlight the data you want to use for the histogram, including the header text. In our example, we’ll select the “Age” header and the 15 values.
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Open the “Insert” drop-down menu and choose “Chart” from the options.
- On the chart “Setup” tab, ensure that “Histogram” is selected as the chart type. If not, choose “Histogram” from the drop-down menu.
- Select the “Histogram” option from the list under the “Other” section.
- Congratulations! You’ve successfully created a histogram. However, you can further customize the histogram to better represent the data points.
Note: If you need to access the chart Setup/Customization menu, simply click on the graph, then click the hamburger icon on the top right, and select the “Edit chart” option from the drop-down menu.
How to Customize the Histogram in Google Sheets
Google Sheets provides a range of customization and formatting options to help you present information effectively through histograms. Let’s take a high-level look at the features available in the chart editor for customizing the histogram.
Setup Tab
The Setup tab allows you to expand the scope of your histogram and orientate the data based on how you interpret columns and rows. Here are some useful options on this tab:
- Data Range: This feature allows you to include multiple columns and rows in your histogram. By adjusting the data range, you can expand the scope of your analysis.
- Series – Add Series: If you want to add additional columns or rows to your histogram, you can use this feature. It allows you to highlight the series you wish to add and incorporate them into the histogram.
Customize Tab
The Customize tab offers various options to customize the appearance of your histogram. While many options are self-explanatory, let’s focus on a few that may require some explanation:
Histogram
Though it has only three options, the Histogram options section is the most powerful tool in Google Sheets for data formatting:
- Show Item Dividers: Enable this option to add a line between each item in the chart. This can help represent the distribution more effectively.
- Bucket Size: This option allows you to choose the value range for each bucket. Google Sheets offers automatic sorting and you can set the bucket size in increments of 1, 2, 5, 10, 25, or 50.
- Outlier Percentile: Use this option to group data outliers with the closest relevant bucket.
Choosing the right bucket size is both a science and an art. While there are techniques to calculate the ideal number of buckets, it’s often beneficial to adjust them intuitively to align with how people perceive the data. Furthermore, you can use vertical and horizontal axis ranges to fine-tune the histogram.
Chart & Axis Titles
This submenu allows you to adjust the display of the chart title, subtitle, horizontal axis title, and vertical axis title. You can customize the text, font, font size, format, and color for each element.
Series
The Series tab enables you to choose the bar color for each series in your histogram. This feature is particularly useful when comparing multiple series within a histogram.
Legend
The Legend submenu allows you to make adjustments to the legend, such as its position relative to the graph, font, font size, format, and text color.
Horizontal Axis & Vertical Axis
Both the Horizontal Axis and Vertical Axis sections serve the same purpose: adjusting the range of the graph and changing the appearance of axis information.
To add context to your histogram, you can set the minimum and maximum values represented on the axes. Additionally, you can format the axis labels by changing the font, font size, format, and text color.
Remember, context is crucial when interpreting a histogram. While Google Sheets does an excellent job of formatting histograms, a little customization can go a long way in enhancing their visual impact.
So there you have it! Now you know how to create captivating histograms in Google Sheets and utilize various customization options to make them look exactly the way you want. Remember to experiment and find the best settings that effectively communicate your data.
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