Geospatial
Choropleth Map
Regions colored by value, the most common thematic map type.
Vaccination Rate by Region
% of population fully vaccinated
View data (12 rows)
| Vaccination Rate | Region |
|---|---|
| 78 | Northeast |
| 65 | Southeast |
| 71 | Midwest |
| 62 | Southwest |
| 74 | West |
| 80 | Northwest |
| 76 | Mid-Atlantic |
| 68 | Great Lakes |
| 59 | Plains |
| 55 | Mountain |
| 82 | Pacific |
| 58 | South Central |
Use a choropleth map when…
- Regional comparison (states, countries)
- Election results, GDP, population density
Avoid when…
- Point data (use dot map)
- When large regions dominate visually
Data it needs
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Min Rows | 3 |
| Min Columns | 2 |
| Column Types | stringnumber |
| Notes | Region identifiers + values. U.S.-state datasets render ~50 states via Albers-USA; colloquial U.S. regions (Northeast / Midwest / etc.) are expanded to their constituent states on the same basemap. |
Visual anatomy
Marks
polygon
Channels
color-luminanceposition
Axes
geographic coordinates
Guiding principles
Consider instead
Common mistakes
Using total counts instead of rates
Rainbow colormap
History
First created by Charles Dupin in 1826 to show literacy rates in France.
Accessibility notes
Provide data table with region names. Use a colorblind-safe sequential ramp such as ColorBrewer YlOrRd or viridis — avoid rainbow, which destroys ordinal perception for color-vision-deficient readers.
Related reading
Got data? Let's see what works.
Drop your CSV. You'll get a Choropleth Map plus four alternatives - ranked by which one actually fits your data best.