Multiple Data Points in a Chart Column

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated December 17, 2022)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003

Jeff creates a lot of charts to track expenditures and labor by project. He creates stacked charts that show totals, but is looking for a way to combine stacked column and clustered column charts to provide just what he needs.

The solution is found in the way you organize the data in your worksheet. In short, you should leave a blank column (or row) between major groupings of your data. When you then create the chart, the blank area translates into a blank area on the chart, which makes it appear as if you have different clusters of data.

For a complete discussion of how this can be done, refer to the links at Jon Peltier's Web site. Jon is an Excel MVP, and has a good resource that speaks to this very issue:

http://peltiertech.com/clustered-stacked-column-bar-charts/

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2431) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Creating a Command List

Want a list of all the commands available in Word? You can get one easily by following these steps.

Discover More

Hiding Outline Symbols

Outline symbols are automatically displayed by Excel when you add subtotals or organize your data using an outline. If ...

Discover More

Erratic Behavior of Ctrl+PgDn

Have you ever noticed that when you use Ctrl+PgDn or Ctrl+PgUp that Word may give you results you didn't expect? Here's ...

Discover More

Excel Smarts for Beginners! Featuring the friendly and trusted For Dummies style, this popular guide shows beginners how to get up and running with Excel while also helping more experienced users get comfortable with the newest features. Check out Excel 2019 For Dummies today!

More ExcelTips (menu)

Specifying Chart Sizes

If you need a number of charts in your workbook to all be the same size, it can be a bother to manually change each of ...

Discover More

Moving Groups of Data Labels at One Time

Having problems working with data labels in your charts? That's not unusual; here's an idea of an add-in that could help ...

Discover More

Controlling the Plotting of Empty Cells

When creating a chart from information that contains empty cells, you can direct Excel how it should proceed. This tip ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is eight more than 9?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)

This Site

Got a version of Excel that uses the menu interface (Excel 97, Excel 2000, Excel 2002, or Excel 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.

Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.

Links and Sharing
OUR COMPANY
OUR PRODUCTS
OUR SITES
 

Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.