In this post, I’ll show you how to add data labels to your scatter plot chart (also known as the x-y graph). Before I do that I’ll quickly cover how to create a scatter plot to make sure your data and chart are set up properly.
Do you have a chart that looks like this?
But do you want it to look like this?
Then keep reading!
How To Create A Scatter Plot In Excel
First off, make sure your data is in the right format. You will need three columns, namely, the data labels, the x-axis, and the y-axis. For example, Name, Years, and Salary.
The aim of this type of chart is to see whether there is any correlation/trend between the number of years worked and salary.
Select the data for the chart, in this example, cells B1 to C6. You can include the column headers but not necessary as you can change them later. By default, the chart title will take the y-axis label.
- Select the Insert tab
- Click on X Y (Scatter)
- Select Scatter in the options displayed
You should now have a chart that looks like this:
In this example, the Salary is plotted on the y-axis and the number of years is plotted on the x-axis.
At this stage, I like to add a chart title and axis titles so readers can quickly understand the chart. You can do this by:
- Select the chart
- Select the Chart Design tab
- Click on Add Chart Element >> Axis Titles
You should then have a chart that looks like the one below.
Next, we will add the employee names next to the scatter points.
Interesting read – How To Highlight Highest And Lowest Value In Excel Chart
Add Data Labels To A Scatter Plot Chart
You can label the data points in the scatter chart by following these steps:
- Again, select the chart
- Select the Chart Design tab
- Click on Add Chart Element >> Data labels (I’ve added it to the right in the example)
- Next, right-click on any of the data labels
- Select “Format Data Labels”
- Check “Values from Cells” and a window will pop up
- Select the range of labels – in this example, select range A2 to A6
Voila, you have now added labels to your scatter plot chart!
Hope you found this helpful and that it saves you some time!
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