What is a histogram? A histogram is a chart that displays continuous data using vertical bars that each represent a discrete, equal-sized range. These ranges are called bins. While bar charts are used to visualize categorical information (like product categories), histograms display information along a spectrum, separated into binned ranges. If your data is numerical — say, price or quantity — consider opting for a histogram. Example histogram You could use a histogram to visualize a count of orders broken down by subtotal, like so: Fig. 1. A histogram showing the distribution of order subtotals. Histograms will only show a thin sliver of white space between each of the bins to indicate that the bars represent bins across a range of continuous values. Key article Visualize your data as a histogram Related terms Bar chart Bin Further reading Which chart should you use? Did this article help you? Yes No Send Thanks for your feedback!