by Jason Snell
(Not So Fun With) Charts: Virus in the U.S.
I’ve been posting a chart a week on Six Colors in 2020, but I have to admit that I’ve been a bit less enthusiastic about chart making for some reason the last few weeks.
Okay, it’s because I’ve been seeing a lot of charts like these at the New York Times:
The accompanying charts, which will be updated daily using data collected by The New York Times, describe the outbreak for metro areas around the country. Metropolitan areas are helpful units because they reflect the places where people socialize, commute and share health care resources.
Given the current state of the COVID-19 outbreak, most charts are sharply angled upward and we’re all waiting to see them round off, flatten, and start back down. It makes it a tough time to watch charts.
That said, these are all excellent charts, and you can put in your own metropolitan area to see how it compares to the areas that are highlighted. It goes to show you how important data visualization can be when it’s done right.