How to Create a Tally Chart

Tally charts make counting easy.

Tally charts make collecting data and counting in real time easy. Surveying a group to collect demographic or marketing information is one use for such a chart. Tally charts come in handy to keep track of items sold in a shop each day. If you need to take T-shirt or food orders for a group, you can also use a tally chart. Tally charts reduce the chances that you will lose count; writing tally marks saves you from writing "1", crossing it out and writing "2", and so on. Once you learn how to create tally charts, you will find yourself using them in a variety of settings.

Things You'll Need

• Pencil
• Paper

Instructions

1. Determine what you are counting. If you are taking T-shirt orders for a large group, you will be counting how many people want each T-shirt size. If you are working in a visitor center, maybe you want to count how many local versus international tourists enter the bureau. If you are completing a survey and want to ask a group of people what their favorite movie is, select five or six movie titles for them to choose from.

2. Draw a rectangular-shaped data table on your piece of paper, with three headings at the top. In the first heading box, write your counting or survey category, such as "T-shirt size", for example. In the second heading box, write "tally," and in the third heading box, write "total."

3. Write each possible answer, choice, or observation, underneath the counting category heading. If your category heading is "T-shirt size", write "small", "medium", "large" and "x-large" underneath the heading of column 1. If your counting category is produce sold, write "carrots", "broccoli", "apples", "oranges", and so forth, under the first heading. Separate each choice or answer with a horizontal line all the way across the data table.

4. Start collecting data or counting. Using the T-shirt example once again, if someone chooses size small, write a tally mark under the "tally" heading, in the same row as the "small" choice. One tally mark is a vertical line. Draw vertical lines for the first four responses for each answer. If a fifth person chooses size small, for example, draw a diagonal line through the four vertical lines. Four vertical lines with one diagonal line running through it represents a set of five responses. This will make totaling your data easier at the end of the survey, since you can count by fives.

5. Write down additional answers, observations or choices, underneath the tally chart, if relevant. For example, if someone asks for an extra small-sized T-shirt, write this down and look into whether the company offers this additional size.

6. Total up the tally marks for each category answer or choice. Write the total numbers under the "total" heading.

References

• Brain Pop Jr.: Tally Charts and Bar Graphs
• The University of Chicago: Study Link Help - Tally Charts
• Adult Basic Skills Resource Center: Tally Chart Practice