Choose class breaks that match the story
Select and document choropleth classification breaks based on distribution and decision use.
A city needs a tract-level eviction filing rate map where the distribution is skewed and a policy action threshold exists at 8 filings per 100 renter households. Class-break workflow: inspect distribution, identify policy thresholds, compare break methods, choose the method that matches the decision, and disclose it. Using the default classification can make a relative ranking look like an absolute crisis or hide meaningful threshold crossings. Inspect Plot the rate distribution and note skew, outliers, zeros, and the policy threshold. The histogram explains what the map colors will compress or exaggerate. Compare Generate quantile, equal interval, and Fisher-Jenks candidate breaks…
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