Compare and rank
Lollipop chart
Compares categories using value dots connected to a baseline by thin stems.
- Chart
- Comparison
- Ranking
What it answers
Which items are larger without heavy bars?
- Shape
- Dots on thin stems
- What it shows
- Rank and distance from baseline.
Example
The question
Which product lines have the most open support tickets?
Open support tickets by product line, end of September
Illustrative data. It belongs to no company.
When to use it
Use it when
A clean ranking or comparison with many category names.
Avoid it when
When a prominent filled magnitude is easier for the audience.
How to read it
Compare dot positions; stems trace the distance from the baseline.
The data you need
- Layout
- Long table
- Fields
- Category: text; Value: number
- One row is
- One category and its measured or aggregated value. What is the grain?
- Rules
- Choose an aggregation for repeated categories. Keep units consistent.
- Optional
- Optional Series or label. Wide alternative: one category column plus one value column per series.
- Preparation
- Validate the input grain and missing values. Choose an aggregation for repeated categories. Keep units consistent.
- Units
- Use the measured variable's stated unit consistently. No denominator is implied unless the value is a rate or proportion.
Worked example
Data A=30, B=45, C=25. Put dots at their values and draw stems. B is highest; C is lowest.
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| A | 30 |
| B | 45 |
| C | 25 |