Create a Map Chart in Tableau

Recently, I was working with the regional sales team in my company to identify which states were contributing the most to our sales revenue. I had all the sales numbers in a table, but from the raw data, it was hard to tell which regions were performing well in sales.

I wanted an easy visualization to compare sales by location. For this, I created a Map Chart in Tableau. By plotting the sales data on a map, I could easily spot which states had high sales and which ones had fewer sales.

In this tutorial, I will explain what a map chart is in Tableau and how to create a map chart to visualize the data through the data points in a geographic map.

What is a Map Chart in Tableau?

In Tableau, the Map chart is used to show the data visualization on a map, allowing us to show geographical relationships and patterns. It combines geographical information with statistical data to show trends, distributions, and other insights related to locations. Map charts are useful for analyzing demographic data, such as sales performance across states and cities.

In Tableau, we have two types of maps, which are:

1. Symbol Map: In Tableau, a Symbol map is used to represent geographic data by placing symbols, usually circles, on a map. These symbols are positioned based on geographical fields like country, state, city, or latitude and longitude. We can customize the size and color of the symbols to reflect different values, such as sales, profit, or population.
2. Filled Map (Choropleth Map): In Tableau, a Filled Map, also known as a Choropleth Map, displays data by filling color shades in entire geographic areas, such as countries or states, on a specific measure. The intensity or darkness of the color represents the magnitude of the value, making it easy to identify patterns across regions.

Check out: Create a Tree Map in Tableau

Create a Map Chart in Tableau

In this Tableau map chart, we will display the sales data across the various states. Here, the data points in the maps will show the sales. To display the sales and profit across states in the USA, we will create both a symbol and a filled map.

Create a Symbol Map in Tableau

In this example, we will show the share of profit across the states using the Map chart. Here, the circle data points will show the sales profit. The larger circle will indicate higher profit.

1. Double-click on the geographic field country region, and it will display a map in the Tableau sheet with the longitude and the latitude.

2. To show the data points in states, add the geo field State to the Details card in the Marks section.

3. Now, to show the Profit of Sales in each state, drag the profit to the Size card in the Marks section.

This will show the size of data points in states according to their sales profit. The larger circle will show the higher profit, and the smaller one will show the data points of states with low profit.

This way, we can create a symbol map in Tableau to compare the sales profit across different geographic locations.

Check out: Create a Bar Chart in Tableau

Create a Filled Map in Tableau

In this example, the sales data will be compared across the states using the color density. Here, darker shade indicates higher sales and lighter shades indicate lower sales.

1. Double-click on any of the geographical fields, and you will see the geographical map with longitude and latitude.

In my data source ( Tableau Superstore), I have data related to the USA, so that the USA map will be displayed.

2. Here, we will show the Sales across the states, and for that, we will add the State geographic field to the Details card in the Marks section.

3. To show the sales across the states, we will use the color density. Here, the states with higher sales will appear in dark color and states with fewer sales in light color.

Add the Sales field to the Color card. To view more accurate data, add the Sales to the Label card also.

In this map chart, we can see the sales distribution in all states of the USA. Here, the darker shade of color indicated high sales, and the lighter one indicated low sales.

This way, we can create a Filled map chart in tableau where we can compare the geographical data using the color shades.

Check out: Create Heat Map in Tableau

I hope, in this Tableau tutorial, you have understood the types of map chart in Tableau and what type of data we can use to create a map chart in tableau. In the above we created both filled and symbol map charts to compate the sales and pofit accross different geo locations. Through this we can easily compare the geographical data with data points on the map chart.

You may also like to read:

• Create a Scatterplot in Tableau
• Tableau Bubble Chart
• Create Area Chart in Tableau
•  Histogram in Tableau

Bijay Kumar

I am Bijay Kumar, the founder of SalesforceFAQs.com. Having over 10 years of experience working in salesforce technologies for clients across the world (Canada, Australia, United States, United Kingdom, New Zealand, etc.). I am a certified salesforce administrator and expert with experience in developing salesforce applications and projects. My goal is to make it easy for people to learn and use salesforce technologies by providing simple and easy-to-understand solutions. Check out the complete profile on About us.