Since there are 14 columns in the chart, and the lines are somewhat hard to interpret, I though it would be interesting to plot the data in a stacked area chart. Stacked area charts aren’t so good at showing individual data points, but they work well to show overall trends. Also, unlike column charts, they can handle way many more data points without becoming cluttered. The example up top actually plots 3 more years of data, going back to 1999. It would be interesting to show the average street price of heroin during this same period. If you have a source for that data, let me know in a comment below.

Dave Bruns

Hi - I’m Dave Bruns, and I run Exceljet with my wife, Lisa. Our goal is to help you work faster in Excel. We create short videos, and clear examples of formulas, functions, pivot tables, conditional formatting, and charts.

Stacked Area Chart example  US Heroin Overdose Deaths - 86Stacked Area Chart example  US Heroin Overdose Deaths - 89