Stacked Bar Chart
Stacked Bar Chart
What Is This Report Type?
A Stacked Bar Chart is a vertical bar chart where each bar is subdivided into colored segments representing different sub-categories. The total height of each bar represents the aggregate value, while the individual segments show the contribution of each sub-category to that total.
Why Is It Used?
Stacked Bar Charts are used when you need to compare totals across categories and understand the internal composition of each total simultaneously. They answer two questions at once: “How much in total?” and “What is each part’s contribution?”
Key Features and Characteristics
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Part-to-Whole Breakdown | Each bar is divided into segments showing sub-category contributions to the overall total. |
| Cumulative Comparison | The total height of each bar allows cross-category comparison of aggregate values. |
| Color-Coded Legend | Each sub-category is assigned a distinct color with an accompanying legend for clarity. |
| 100% Stacked Option | An optional mode normalizes all bars to the same height, showing only the percentage breakdown. |
| Multi-Series Support | Supports any number of sub-categories stacked within each bar. |
When to Use It (Use Cases)
- Revenue Breakdown: Comparing quarterly revenue and seeing each product line’s contribution.
- Project Tracking: Viewing task completion status (Not Started, In Progress, Complete) across multiple projects.
- Marketing Spend: Analyzing campaign budget allocation across channels (Social, Search, Email) by quarter.
- Workforce Analysis: Understanding workforce composition by role type across departments.
Real-Time Business Example
Scenario: A CFO wants to compare total company revenue across four quarters while also understanding which product lines are driving growth.
Visualization: A Stacked Bar Chart shows four vertical bars (Q1–Q4). Each bar is divided into three colored segments: SaaS Subscriptions (blue), Professional Services (green), and Hardware Sales (orange). The CFO can see that total revenue grew from $280K in Q1 to $550K in Q4, and that the SaaS segment is growing fastest—its share expanding from 40% to 55% of total revenue.
Common Metrics Displayed
- Sum of Revenue by Sub-Category: Total sales broken down by product, region, or channel.
- Count of Items by Status: Number of tasks, orders, or tickets grouped by status type.
- Budget vs. Actual Spend: Stacked comparison of planned vs. actual expenditures.
- User Segmentation: Active users broken down by subscription tier or demographic group.
User Interactions
| Interaction | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Filters | Global date-range or category filters dynamically recalculate the stacked segments. |
| Hover / Tooltip | Hovering over a segment shows the sub-category name, its value, and its percentage of the total bar. |
| Click / Drill-Down | Clicking a specific segment filters the dashboard to show data only for that sub-category. |
| Legend Toggle | Clicking a legend item shows or hides its corresponding segment across all bars. |
| Export | Export to Excel. |
Creation Steps
- Select Stacked Bar Chart as the report type.
- Group By: Drag a category field (e.g., Quarter).
- Metrics: Add multiple value fields for stacked segments (e.g., SaaS Revenue, Services Revenue).