How are class intervals chosen for a frequency distribution of ages?

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statistics Figure 1: A bar graph showing the marital status of 100 individuals.

Constructing a frequency distribution for a quantitative variable like age requires careful definition of classes and the division points between them to ensure they are nonoverlapping.1

When choosing class intervals, you must consider the range of your data. For example, if your age data spans from 22 to 78, you might select intervals of equal width that cover the entire range, such as 20–29, 30–39, 40–49, 50–59, 60–69, and 70–79. The goal is to create a set of categories that effectively organizes the data while maintaining clear, distinct boundaries for each group.1