Thoroughbred racing is big business. And Philadelphia’s Parx Casino owns a racing track that, in a recent article in the Philadelphia Inquirer, has seen a number of horse deaths. The article includes a single graphic worth noting, a bar chart showing the thoroughbred death rate. The graphic contrasts rising deaths at Parx with a national trend of declining deaths.
Traditionally rate statistics are shown using dots or line. The idea is that a bar represents counting stats, i.e. how many total horses died. I understand the coloured bars present a more visually compelling graphic on the page, and so I can buy that reason if you are selling it.
Labelling each datapoint, however, with a grey text label above the bar remains unnecessary. They create sparkling, distracting grey baubles above the important blue bars. If you need the specificity to the hundredths degree, use a table. This graphic is also interactive. The mouseover state is where a specific number can be provided, adding an additional layer or level of depth in a progressive disclosure of information.
Credit for the piece goes to Dylan Purcell.
