Stacked Bar Charts

This article is specific to the updated TrackVia UI released in Fall 2026

Stacked Bar Charts compares values across multiple categories by stacking bars on top of each other. Each bar represents a whole, and the segments within each bar represent the parts of that whole.

When to Use Stacked Bar Charts

• Most commonly used in scenarios where you need to visualize the breakdown of a whole into its constituent parts, particularly when comparing the relative contributions of different subcategories within a larger category.
• To show how different parts make up a whole. This can help you compare how each part contributes to the total. 
• To highlight overall trends across categories

When to Avoid Using Stacked Bar Charts

• If you have many categories (10+), bar charts should be avoided as they can quickly become cluttered by too many bars.
• If you need to directly compare individual components within each category, consider using multiple Non-Stacked Bar Charts instead of a Stacked Bar Chart.

Example Use Cases for Stacked Bar Charts

1. Breaking down the sales at different store locations across the country
2. Show how many of each different product type was sold each day.
3. Illustrating the distribution of expenses in a budget.
4. Show the demographic composition of a population

Related Articles

• Introduction to Views
• Interacting with Views
• Non-Stacked Bar Charts