Box Plot Chart ​

A box plot compares two or more categories and shows data distribution by quartiles. Each category is divided into 4 groups, containing 25% of the data points. You can also see the lowest, highest and median points per category.

Overview

Usage guidelines ​

When to use ​

Questions you can answer with this visualization:

  • How many are in each category?
  • What is the data distribution in each category?
  • What are the key values, like median, lowest and highest?
  • Is the data symmetrical?
  • Is the data skewed?
When not to use ​
  • If you want to show the composition of a category, instead of the distribution of data points, use a stacked bar chart.
  • An alternative chart to visualize distribution is the histogram. A boxplot is most useful when comparing groups. If you want to visualize data distribution in a single group, use the histogram instead.
  • A boxplot has limitations when visualizing distributions. For example, two different datasets could result in identical boxplots but very different histograms.
Usage recommendations ​
If there isn't an inherent order to the groups, use an order that can uncover further insights and patterns. For example, order them by the median value.