Scatterplots

A scatterplot shows each individual as a single cross against a vertical axis (for the variable, Y) and a horizontal axis (for the other variable, X).

By convention, we call the variable on the vertical axis Y and the variable on the horizontal axis X.

Salaries of managers

The table below shows the average annual salaries for Financial Managers and Human Resources Managers in the mainland states in the USA in 2012.

State Financial
Manager
Human Resources
Manager
Alabama
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
DC
Florida
Georgia
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
N Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
N Carolina
N Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Is
S Carolina
S Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
W Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
$108,100
$105,620
$95,070
$137,150
$135,580
$126,930
$145,130
$135,760
$124,080
$119,330
$88,570
$120,980
$101,510
$106,480
$108,570
$92,990
$91,650
$86,100
$119,710
$129,070
$104,910
$117,250
$80,610
$112,790
$96,290
$130,190
$104,290
$98,260
$145,530
$97,150
$170,370
$122,350
$99,100
$108,220
$91,010
$104,990
$123,150
$132,440
$100,200
$116,560
$99,520
$122,260
$108,650
$113,670
$130,090
$116,170
$79,460
$103,480
$92,250
$93,060
$94,930
$94,090
$121,190
$124,060
$117,410
$132,260
$133,550
$104,410
$114,340
$88,640
$103,440
$95,000
$89,950
$93,420
$84,240
$82,850
$81,980
$120,150
$119,060
$97,010
$106,610
$73,060
$98,180
$85,560
$110,670
$107,810
$103,750
$137,850
$89,610
$124,280
$113,170
$90,160
$103,550
$68,440
$95,140
$124,590
$120,850
$88,850
$88,160
$85,500
$112,910
$94,680
$102,950
$120,610
$108,960
$81,480
$93,480
$81,010

This is a bivariate numerical data set, with an additional label variable containing the names of the states.

Relationship between salaries of the two types of manager

A scatterplot of the data is shown below.

Click on any of the crosses to help read the two average salaries for that state. The general trend for states with higher financial manager salaries to also have higher human resources manager salaries is evident from the upward-sloping cloud of points.