Stepcharts are normally used for histograms where the categories have varying widths. However they are also convenient for data which changes in a stepped fashion, interest rates being a typical example.
Percentage of Population
Distribution by Age Group
0-10
11-20
21-35
36-50
51-70
70+
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
12.5
14
30
28
12.5
3
Sample stepchart (sometimes called a Histogram) showing how the bar widths can vary to show categories of different sizes.
Age Distribution
| Band | Step | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 0-10 | 0 | 12.5 |
| 11-20 | 10 | 14 |
| 21-35 | 20 | 30 |
| 36-50 | 35 | 28 |
| 51-70 | 50 | 12.5 |
| 70+ | 70 | 3 |
| 100 | 0 |
UK interest rates
Percentage
Source: Thomson Financial Datastream
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
4.50
4.75
5.00
5.25
5.50
5.75
6.00
6.25
6.50
6.75
7.00
7.25
7.50
UK Interest Rates from 1997 - 2001
Illustrates a floating stepchart with an invisible Y-axis to get the effect we want. Also note the use of a datasheet with the first day of each year to get correct tickmarks on the X-axis.
Years
| Year | Yr |
|---|---|
| 01/01/97 | 1997 |
| 01/01/98 | 1998 |
| 01/01/99 | 1999 |
| 01/01/00 | 2000 |
| 01/01/01 | 2001 |
| 01/01/02 | 2002 |
Rates
| Date | Rate |
|---|---|
| 01/06/97 | 6.25 |
| 01/06/97 | 6.5 |
| 01/07/97 | 6.75 |
| 01/08/97 | 7 |
| 23/10/97 | 7.25 |
| 01/06/98 | 7.5 |
| 01/12/98 | 7.25 |
| 12/12/98 | 6.75 |
| 31/12/98 | 6.25 |
| 05/01/99 | 6 |
| 01/02/99 | 5.5 |
| 12/03/99 | 5.25 |
| 12/06/99 | 5 |
| 12/09/99 | 5.25 |
| 01/12/99 | 5.5 |
| 12/01/00 | 5.75 |
| 12/02/00 | 6 |
| 01/02/01 | 5.75 |
| 01/03/01 | 5.5 |
| 12/04/01 | 5.25 |
| 19/07/01 | 5.25 |