diff --git a/client/src/components/categorical/category/index.js b/client/src/components/categorical/category/index.js
index a87499bc..1facf4c5 100644
--- a/client/src/components/categorical/category/index.js
+++ b/client/src/components/categorical/category/index.js
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ const LABEL_WIDTH_ANNO = LABEL_WIDTH - ANNO_BUTTON_WIDTH;
   const { metadataField } = ownProps;
   const isUserAnno = schema?.annotations?.obsByName[metadataField]?.writable;
   const categoricalSelection = state.categoricalSelection?.[metadataField];
+  const isDotplotRows = metadataField === state.dotplot.row;
   return {
     colors: state.colors,
     categoricalSelection,
@@ -45,7 +46,8 @@ const LABEL_WIDTH_ANNO = LABEL_WIDTH - ANNO_BUTTON_WIDTH;
     crossfilter: state.obsCrossfilter,
     isUserAnno,
     genesets: state.genesets.genesets,
-    dotplot: state.layoutChoice.dotplot,
+    layoutChoiceIsDotplot: state.layoutChoice.dotplot,
+    isDotplotRows,
   };
 })
 class Category extends React.PureComponent {
@@ -84,9 +86,9 @@ class Category extends React.PureComponent {
   }
 
   handleColorChange = () => {
-    const { dispatch, metadataField, dotplot } = this.props;
+    const { dispatch, metadataField, layoutChoiceIsDotplot } = this.props;
 
-    if (dotplot) {
+    if (layoutChoiceIsDotplot) {
       dispatch({
         type: "set dotplot row",
         data: metadataField,
@@ -229,7 +231,8 @@ class Category extends React.PureComponent {
       colors,
       annoMatrix,
       isUserAnno,
-      dotplot,
+      layoutChoiceIsDotplot,
+      isDotplotRows,
     } = this.props;
 
     const checkboxID = `category-select-${metadataField}`;
@@ -288,7 +291,8 @@ class Category extends React.PureComponent {
                   onCategoryToggleAllClick={handleCategoryToggleAllClick}
                   onCategoryMenuClick={this.handleCategoryClick}
                   onCategoryMenuKeyPress={this.handleCategoryKeyPress}
-                  dotplot={dotplot}
+                  layoutChoiceIsDotplot={layoutChoiceIsDotplot}
+                  isDotplotRows={isDotplotRows}
                 />
               );
             }}
@@ -383,7 +387,8 @@ const CategoryHeader = React.memo(
     onCategoryMenuClick,
     onCategoryMenuKeyPress,
     onCategoryToggleAllClick,
-    dotplot,
+    layoutChoiceIsDotplot,
+    isDotplotRows,
   }) => {
     /*
     Render category name and controls (eg, color-by button).
@@ -482,10 +487,10 @@ const CategoryHeader = React.memo(
               data-testclass="colorby"
               data-testid={`colorby-${metadataField}`}
               onClick={onColorChangeClick}
-              active={isColorAccessor}
-              intent={isColorAccessor ? "primary" : "none"}
+              active={isColorAccessor || isDotplotRows}
+              intent={isColorAccessor || isDotplotRows ? "primary" : "none"}
               disabled={isTruncated}
-              icon={dotplot ? "layout-grid" : "tint"}
+              icon={layoutChoiceIsDotplot ? "layout-grid" : "tint"}
             />
           </Tooltip>
         </div>
@@ -512,7 +517,8 @@ const CategoryRender = React.memo(
     onCategoryMenuClick,
     onCategoryMenuKeyPress,
     onCategoryToggleAllClick,
-    dotplot,
+    layoutChoiceIsDotplot,
+    isDotplotRows,
   }) => {
     /*
     Render the core of the category, including checkboxes, controls, etc.
@@ -557,7 +563,8 @@ const CategoryRender = React.memo(
             onCategoryToggleAllClick={onCategoryToggleAllClick}
             onCategoryMenuClick={onCategoryMenuClick}
             onCategoryMenuKeyPress={onCategoryMenuKeyPress}
-            dotplot={dotplot}
+            layoutChoiceIsDotplot={layoutChoiceIsDotplot}
+            isDotplotRows={isDotplotRows}
           />
         </div>
         <div style={{ marginLeft: 26 }}>
diff --git a/client/src/components/dotplot/column.js b/client/src/components/dotplot/column.js
index f18977e4..9d71b664 100644
--- a/client/src/components/dotplot/column.js
+++ b/client/src/components/dotplot/column.js
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import React from "react";
 import { connect, shallowEqual } from "react-redux";
 
-// import * as d3 from "d3";
+import * as d3 from "d3";
 
 import memoize from "memoize-one";
 
@@ -140,18 +140,34 @@ class Column extends React.Component {
               const col = colorData.icol(0);
               const range = col.summarize();
 
-              console.log(_geneSymbol, metadataField, categoryData);
-
               const histogramMap = col.histogram(
                 100,
                 [range.min, range.max],
                 groupBy
               );
 
-              // const dotColorScale = d3
-              //   .scaleLinear()
-              //   .domain([range.min, range.max])
-              //   .range([0, 1]);
+              const categories =
+                annoMatrix?.schema?.annotations?.obsByName[metadataField]
+                  ?.categories;
+              const cellCategories = groupBy.asArray();
+              const geneExpressions = col.asArray();
+              let mean;
+              const meanGeneExpressions = {};
+              for (const c of categories) {
+                const arr = [];
+                for (let i = 0; i < geneExpressions.length; i += 1) {
+                  if (cellCategories[i] === c) {
+                    arr.push(geneExpressions[i]);
+                  }
+                }
+                mean = arr.reduce((a, b) => a + b) / arr.length;
+                meanGeneExpressions[c] = mean;
+              }
+
+              const columnColorScale = d3
+                .scaleLinear()
+                .domain(d3.extent(Object.values(meanGeneExpressions)))
+                .range([0, 1]);
 
               return categorySummary.categoryValues.map(
                 (val, _categoryValueIndex) => {
@@ -165,6 +181,8 @@ class Column extends React.Component {
                       _geneIndex={_geneIndex}
                       colorData={colorData}
                       rowColumnSize={rowColumnSize}
+                      columnColorScale={columnColorScale}
+                      meanGeneExpression={meanGeneExpressions[val]}
                     />
                   );
                 }
diff --git a/client/src/components/dotplot/dot.js b/client/src/components/dotplot/dot.js
index ec12ebd3..e43855bd 100644
--- a/client/src/components/dotplot/dot.js
+++ b/client/src/components/dotplot/dot.js
@@ -10,7 +10,8 @@ const Dot = (props) => {
     _geneSymbol,
     _geneIndex,
     rowColumnSize,
-    // dotColorScale,
+    columnColorScale,
+    meanGeneExpression,
   } = props;
 
   const bins = histogramMap.has(categoryValue)
@@ -34,6 +35,7 @@ const Dot = (props) => {
 
   /* TODO(colinmegill) #632 scale between correct dimensions */
   const paddingEquivalentToRowColumnIndexOffset = 8;
+  /* domain is some fraction of the cells expressing, percent as decimal */
   const dotscale = d3
     .scaleLinear()
     .domain([0, 1])
@@ -62,7 +64,7 @@ const Dot = (props) => {
         cx="11"
         cy="-3.5"
         style={{
-          fill: interpolateCool(Math.random()),
+          fill: interpolateCool(columnColorScale(meanGeneExpression)),
           fillOpacity: 1,
           stroke: "none",
         }}
diff --git a/client/src/components/menubar/index.js b/client/src/components/menubar/index.js
index 350327d0..1f902497 100644
--- a/client/src/components/menubar/index.js
+++ b/client/src/components/menubar/index.js
@@ -276,7 +276,7 @@ class MenuBar extends React.PureComponent {
             icon="layout-grid"
             onClick={this.handleDotplotToggle}
             active={dotplotEnabled}
-            intent={dotplotEnabled ? "primary" : "none"}
+            intent={dotplotEnabled ? "success" : "none"}
           />
         </Tooltip>
         <Tooltip