# Build a box plot or strip plot

> See how a measure is spread out - its median, quartiles and outliers - or plot every record as a dot, one group per category.

Analyze · 3 min read · Updated 2026-10-28

A box plot answers how a measure is spread out. Each box shows the median, the middle half of the values (the first to third quartile) and whiskers out to the rest, with outliers drawn as separate points. A strip plot answers the same question by drawing every record as its own dot. Both live under one entry: pick Box / Strip Plot from the chart type selector.

## Fill the shelves

| Shelf | What it holds |
| --- | --- |
| Values | Required. One measure. The chart draws the underlying records, so it isn't summed first. |
| Category | Optional. One dimension. You get one box (or strip) per member, such as one per region. |
| Color | Optional. A dimension that colors a strip plot's dots. A box plot ignores it, since it already draws one box per Category. |

1. Pick Box / Strip Plot from the chart type selector.
2. Drag a measure to Values.
3. Drag a dimension to Category to compare groups side by side.
4. Open the format pane and set Display to Box plot or Strip plot.

## Format options

Open the format pane to find these settings. Some only show for one display.

- Display - Box plot or Strip plot.
- Orientation - vertical or horizontal.
- Show outliers - box plot only. Points beyond 1.5 times the interquartile range are drawn on their own.
- Show mean - box plot only. Adds a marker for the average, and Mean marker picks its shape.
- Median tick - strip plot only. Draws a tick at each strip's median.

> **Tip:** Reach for the strip plot when you have few records per group. A box summarizes, so with a handful of points it can hide how few there are.

## Build it from the chat

You can ask the chat for either one. Say "box plot of order value by region" or "strip plot of every order by region" and it picks the chart and display for you.

### Related

- [Set histogram bins](https://goldenanalytics.com/docs/histogram-bins)
- [Build an interval plot](https://goldenanalytics.com/docs/interval-plots)
- [Chart types](https://goldenanalytics.com/docs/chart-types)
- [Format a chart](https://goldenanalytics.com/docs/format-a-chart)

Source: https://goldenanalytics.com/docs/box-and-strip-plots