What is an appropriate plot for time series data?

A time series plot requires that the data be collected in a time sequence or order – for example data collected every hour, every shift, every day, every week, every month etc.

An Example of a Time Series Graph The horizontal axis measures time in years and the vertical axis represents the number of people in the U.S. The graph shows us a steady increase in population that is roughly a straight line. Then the slope of the line becomes steeper during the Baby Boom.

A line graph is the simplest way to represent time series data. It is intuitive, easy to create, and helps the viewer get a quick sense of how something has changed over time. A line graph uses points connected by lines (also called trend lines) to show how a dependent variable and independent variable changed.