A Google Sheets thermometer chart is a type of chart used to visually display progress towards a goal. It's called a thermometer chart because it resembles a thermometer, with the level of filled color indicating the current progress in comparison to the target.
These charts are particularly useful for tracking fundraising campaigns, sales targets, project milestones, or any scenario where you aim to measure progress towards a completion or goal.
Follow the steps below to create a thermometer chart in Google Sheets.
For our example, input your goal in C2 and your current amount in B2. Calculate the remaining amount in cell C2 by subtracting your goal amount (D2) and current amount (B2). These are your key data points.
Highlight the range A1:C2, which now contains your "Current" and "Remaining" values.
Go to "Insert" > "Chart." Google Sheets will likely insert a column chart by default.
In the Chart Editor on the right, change the chart type to a "Stacked bar chart" under the "Chart type" dropdown.
Format the Series: Make the "Current" series one color (e.g., green for funds raised) and the "Remaining" series another color (e.g., red for funds needed).
Add data labels to your chart by selecting Series > Data labels.
Make sure you format it to both the Current Amount and the Remaining Amount series.
Under setup, format Stacking to 100% to visualize the chart into percentages.
After customizing your chart, it should resemble a thermometer, showing progress towards your goal visually.
Whenever you receive more funds, update the "Current Amount" and the "Remaining Amount" so that the chart will automatically adjust to reflect your new progress.
We hope that you now have a better understanding of how to create a thermometer chart in Google Sheets. If you enjoyed this article, you might also like our article on voice typing in Google Sheets or our article on how to fix Google Sheets not syncing.
