Geospatial
Cartogram
Distorts region sizes to reflect a variable. Area represents data, not geography.
Electoral Votes by State
Size = electoral weight, not land area
View data (51 rows)
| Electoral Votes | State |
|---|---|
| 9 | Alabama |
| 3 | Alaska |
| 11 | Arizona |
| 6 | Arkansas |
| 54 | California |
| 10 | Colorado |
| 7 | Connecticut |
| 3 | Delaware |
| 3 | DC |
| 30 | Florida |
| 16 | Georgia |
| 4 | Hawaii |
| 4 | Idaho |
| 19 | Illinois |
| 11 | Indiana |
| 6 | Iowa |
| 6 | Kansas |
| 8 | Kentucky |
| 8 | Louisiana |
| 4 | Maine |
| 10 | Maryland |
| 11 | Massachusetts |
| 15 | Michigan |
| 10 | Minnesota |
| 6 | Mississippi |
| 10 | Missouri |
| 4 | Montana |
| 5 | Nebraska |
| 6 | Nevada |
| 4 | New Hampshire |
| 14 | New Jersey |
| 5 | New Mexico |
| 28 | New York |
| 16 | North Carolina |
| 3 | North Dakota |
| 17 | Ohio |
| 7 | Oklahoma |
| 8 | Oregon |
| 19 | Pennsylvania |
| 4 | Rhode Island |
| 9 | South Carolina |
| 3 | South Dakota |
| 11 | Tennessee |
| 40 | Texas |
| 6 | Utah |
| 3 | Vermont |
| 13 | Virginia |
| 12 | Washington |
| 4 | West Virginia |
| 10 | Wisconsin |
| 3 | Wyoming |
Use a cartogram when…
- When geographic area misleads (small regions with high values)
- Electoral maps
- Population-weighted thematic maps
Avoid when…
- When geographic accuracy matters
- General audiences who expect normal maps
Data it needs
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Min Rows | 3 |
| Min Columns | 2 |
| Column Types | stringnumber |
Visual anatomy
Marks
distorted polygon
Channels
areacolor
Axes
geographic (distorted)
Guiding principles
Consider instead
Common mistakes
Choosing a projection that compounds the distortion the cartogram is meant to fix
Unlabeled regions
History
Conceptualized by Erwin Raisz in the 1930s; modernized by Gastner-Newman algorithm (2004).
Accessibility notes
Provide data table with region names. Explain distortion in title.
Related reading
Got data? Let's see what works.
Drop your CSV. You'll get a Cartogram plus four alternatives - ranked by which one actually fits your data best.