Visualizing ACS multi-year estimates

Hi all,

I saw a post earlier in this group that suggested this group discuss Mapping as well as general ACS data visualization. Hopefully that's ok, because I've got a question about general data visualization...

I was wondering if anyone has any thoughts or advice to share about how to appropriately, but also comprehensibly, visualize ACS multi-year estimates for lay public audiences in graphs, in a way that:
- Allows users to see trends over time,
- Gives them access to the most recent data,
- That facilitates wise use of data, and
- Strikes a good balance between full data disclosure and ease of use

I know the Bureau says that comparing non-overlapping estimate periods is the easiest, but as you all are well-aware rural areas only get the 5-year estimates and well, that means we'll have to wait till 2015 to get the first unique 5-year period (2010-14) since the first released 05-09 period. Also, it's certainly not impossible to compare overlapping estimate periods -- it just requires a bit more mental gymnastics and training of users (which I have been providing for the last few years, and am prepared to continue providing). So I've been struggling with how to visually display overlapping estimate periods for the rural leaders and practitioners with whom I work and provide services, and if I should at all.

Here are four visual display options that I've identified (attached are the graphs). Perhaps you know of different options? Is there some standard option that someone or some group has identified?

1. In Display Option 1, I report all the spanned period estimates and show the estimates that correspond to each year of the period

2. In Display Option 2, I only report the most recent 5-year period estimate (for all the years to which they correspond)

3. In Display Option 3, I only report the non-overlapping multiyear estimates, like the Census Bureau recommends doing for multiyear comparisons. The problem is that I won't be able to do this until 2015, when we get the 2010-2014 estimates.

4. In Display Option 4, I report all the available multiyear estimates, but do not show the estimates that correspond to each year of the period

Of course, I haven't even touched the issue of displaying MOE error bars in these graphs, which would add more complexity to the display options and the decision. This is certainly also in the back of my head for this consideration...

Thanks so much,
Lena