Little costumed people are about to flood the streets and you’ll need to decide if you’re handing out tricks or treats! To help you buy the best Halloween candy for your neighborhood, we determined the most popular candy by state. How? Well, at CandyStore.com we ship out thousands of pounds of candy each year, especially around Halloween.
To find this data, we looked at sales from 2007–2015—focusing on the three months leading up to Halloween. Since we sell candy to all 50 states (and Canada), it was easy for us to see a state-by-state breakdown of candy trends and top orders. Based on this analysis, we determined the Halloween best-sellers that people all over the country love to use in Halloween crafts and treats and give out to trick-or-treaters.
Industry research shows that since 2015, online candy sales have increased by 15 percent. People are realizing they can save time and money by skipping the store and purchasing from the comfort of their home.
If you’re curious to see which Halloween candy your state loves most, take a look!
State
Top Candy
%
2nd Place
%
3rd Place
%
AL
Hershey's Mini Chocolate Candy Bars
4.6
Candy Corn
2.8
Tootsie Pops
2.4
AR
Jolly Ranchers Candy
4.8
Butterfinger
3.8
Hot Tamales Minis
1
AZ
Snickers
3.4
Hershey Kisses
2.4
Hot Tamales Minis
1.6
CA
Assorted Salt Water Taffy
5
M&M's
3.6
Skittles
2.2
CO
Twix
3.6
Milky Way
3.2
Hershey Kisses
1.6
CT
Almond Joy
4.6
Milky Way
2.4
M&M's
1.6
DC
M&M's
5.2
Tootsie Pops
3.6
Blow Pops
2
DE
Life Savers
4.2
Skittles
3.6
Candy Corn
1.8
FL
Skittles
3.4
Snickers
2.8
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
1
GA
Swedish Fish
5.4
Hershey Kisses
3.2
Lemonheads
1.4
IA
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
4
M&M's
3.2
Butterfinger
1.2
ID
Candy Corn
4.6
Starburst
2.8
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
1.8
IL
Kit Kat
4.2
Sour Patch Kids
2.8
M&M's
2
IN
Hot Tamales Minis
5.6
Starburst
3.6
Snickers
1.4
KS
M&M's
4
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
3.4
Dubble Bubble Gum
1.8
KY
Tootsie Pops
5.2
3 Musketeers
3
Dubble Bubble Gum
1.4
LA
Lemonheads
4.8
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
3.4
Jolly Ranchers Candy
1.2
MA
Butterfinger
4.4
Sour Patch Kids
3.8
Salt Water Taffy
1.8
MD
Milky Way
4.6
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
2.8
Skittles
1.2
ME
Sour Patch Kids
5.6
M&M's
2.8
Starburst
1.2
MI
Candy Corn
3.6
Skittles
3
Starburst
1.6
MN
Skittles
4
Tootsie Pops
3.8
Almond Joy
1.8
MO
Milky Way
4.4
Dubble Bubble Gum
2.6
Butterfinger
2.2
MS
3 Musketeers
4.6
Snickers
3.6
Butterfinger
1.8
MT
Dubble Bubble Gum
5.2
Twix
3
M&M's
2.2
NC
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
4.6
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
3.8
Candy Corn
1.8
ND
Hot Tamales
3.8
Jolly Ranchers Candy
3
Candy Corn
2.4
NE
Sour Patch Kids
4.4
Salt Water Taffy
2.8
M&M's
1
NH
Starburst
3.6
Snickers
3
Sour Patch Kids
1.2
NJ
Tootsie Pops
3.6
Skittles
3.4
M&M's
1.8
NM
Candy Corn
4.4
Milky Way
3
Salt Water Taffy
2.2
NV
Hershey Kisses
4.8
Candy Corn
2.6
Skittles
1.8
NY
Sour Patch Kids
5
Candy Corn
2.4
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
1
OH
M&M's
3.2
Blow Pops
2.6
Snickers
1.8
OK
Snickers
5.2
Dubble Bubble Gum
2.4
Butterfinger
2
OR
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
5
M&M's
2.8
Tootsie Pops
2
PA
Skittles
4
M&M's
3.6
Hershey's Mini Chocolate Candy Bars
1.4
RI
Candy Corn
5.2
M&M's
3.6
Twix
2.2
SC
Candy Corn
4.6
Skittles
3.6
Hot Tamales Minis
1.4
SD
Starburst
5.4
Jolly Ranchers Candy
3.8
Almond Joy
1.2
TN
Tootsie Pops
4.6
Salt Water Taffy
2.6
Skittles
1
TX
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
3.4
Starburst
3.2
Almond Joy
1.4
UT
Jolly Ranchers Candy
5.4
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
3
Tootsie Pops
1.6
VA
Hot Tamales Minis
3.2
Snickers
2.6
Candy Corn
1.2
VT
Milky Way
4.2
M&M's
3
Skittles
1.6
WA
Salt Water Taffy
3.4
Tootsie Pops
2.8
Hershey Kisses
1
WI
Butterfinger
3.8
Starburst
3.8
Lemonheads
1
WV
Blow Pops
5.6
Hershey's Mini Chocolate Candy Bars
2.6
Milky Way
2.2
WY
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
3.8
Salt Water Taffy
2.4
Skittles
2.2
AK
Twix
3.8
Blow Pops
3
Kit Kat
2.4
HI
Hershey Kisses
3.6
Skittles
3.4
Milky Way
1.4
Alabama
Alabama’s name came from the Choctaw language, so it makes sense it’s stayed a choc-late loving place! Alabamans love chocolate bars, specifically they order over 200 thousand pounds of Hershey’s Mini Chocolate Candy Bars per year more than any other individual candy. So stick to a bowl full of chocolate candies for this year’s trick-or-treaters and they’ll be pleased.
Alaska
Alaska mirrors its physical separation from the United States with its candy of choice, Twix. In order for Alaskans to get their favorite treat, these Twix bars have to travel 3,000+ miles from the CandyStore.com warehouse in Los Angeles, which goes to show true love knows no bounds.
Arizona
While Arizonians mining copper from the ground, farmers are digging up peanuts to go into Arizona’s favorite candy, Snickers! This famous candy is coated with a copper colored caramel too, so it’s a funny coincidence business and personal go hand-in-hand here. The number of Snickers bars consumed in Arizona per year is estimated to be over 60 million.
Arkansas
Arkansas has over 600,000 acres of lakes and 9,700 miles of streams and rivers. It’s no wonder why people living there chose a candy that represents their natural and rugged state, Jolly Ranchers. Over 15 million pounds per year! These hard candies have become a favorite in the Natural State, and we never get tired of sending bags and bags of them their way.
California
California may be sitting on a massive fault line, but the amount of salt water taffy its people consume will at least keep their teeth stuck together. Every year, Californians order 30 million pounds of salt water taffy, and it’s proven to be a crowd favorite.
Colorado
The amount of Twix Coloradans consume every year, would be 10 times higher than the Mile High City stacked end-to-end. Over 150,000 bars. This state just can’t seem to resist its caramel, chocolate, and crunchy cookie compilation.
Connecticut
The state of Connecticut loves Almond Joy almost as much as alcohol. Besides Rhode Island, Connecticut was the only state to never ratify the 18th Amendment, Prohibition! We’re sure they won’t outlaw this favorite chocolate, almond, and coconut candy bar anytime soon either. We wouldn’t want them to start making this confection in bathtubs. It would take a lot of bathtubs to make 80,000 bars!
Delaware
Delaware threw a life saver to the country’s liberties when it stepped up as the first state to ratify the constitution. It’s carried on that legacy by ordering Life Savers by 20% more than any other candy. That’s a significant margin.
Florida
Florida gets more than 250 days of sunshine every year on average, so it’s no wonder why it’s missing the rainbows that come with the rain. To make up for it, Floridians consume tons and tons of Skittles – an estimated 10,000 tons to be exact – so much so, that we’ve figured out these rainbow candies are their favorite.
Georgia
The large mouth bass is the official state fish of Georgia. The state’s favorite candy, Swedish Fish, is technically modeled after salted herring, but we won’t carp on that. Whoops, we mean harp. :)
Hawaii
Hawaii has some delicious exports: sugar, coffee beans, and cocoa beans! Since it has so much chocolate at its disposal, it’s nice to see they still import lots and lots of Hershey’s Kisses that are only made on the mainland. The classic Hawaiian Host macadamia nut chocolates were bested by our estimates by only a couple thousand pounds.
Idaho
Idaho may be known for growing delicious potatoes, but we know it as a true corn lover. Well, candy corn that is. We ship more candy corn to Idaho than any other treat, so it’s no surprise that it is their favorite candy.
Maybe they are huge Halloween celebrators?? Candy corn is the most popular Halloween candy in the US.
Perhaps they should pop some different seeds into the ground to get a fix of what they really love.
Illinois
Before Springfield became the capital of Illinois, it had two, Kaskaskia and Vandalia. The Prairie State also loves a candy with two sides, Kit Kat bars. In 2014, it’s estimated they consumed over 5 million Kit Kats.
Try handing out some snack sized Kit Kat bars to your Illinois trick-or-treaters for a wonderful Halloween surprise. You could even spell Illinois with 2 Kit Kat bars. :P
Indiana
People in Indiana get fired up to watch the Hoosiers. They also get awfully fiery when eating their favorite candy, Hot Tamales. They love those sizzling little things, to the tune of an estimated 3 million pounds a year!
Since Indiana temperatures drop into the single digits come winter, we’re happy to keep mouths warm by continuing to send these hot treats!
Iowa
Iowa’s famous black dirt mirrors the chocolate in the state’s favorite candy, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. While the dirt contains superior nutrients that are great for crops, Reese’s Cups contain deliciousness that’s good for the soul.
Kansas
The Sunflower State is now called The M&Ms State by us at CandyStore.com. That’s because our customers in Kansas consume more M&Ms than any other candy. It’s estimated at 2.75 million pounds. More pounds than their state has people!
Kentucky
How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop? Not many if you had all the Tootsie Pop fans in Kentucky to help out! This state sure does love these fruity and chocolatey pops.
We send orders their way more often than any other candy on CandyStore.com.
Louisiana
Louisiana sure does love its rich and sweet foods; beignets, crawfish, and Po-Boys top authentic Louisianan menus. That’s why we were surprised to learn that a sweet treat, Lemonheads, are this state’s favorite candy. Guess they need something to lighten up the palate!
Maine
Eastport, Maine is the first place in the U.S. to see the sunrise. It’s also the first state on our list with a major penchant for Sour Patch Kids. They consume an estimated 1.8 million pounds a year. That’s a lot of sour!
Maryland
People in Maryland love Milky Way chocolate bars. The good news is that they can enjoy eating them while observing the candy bar’s namesake in Alpha Ridge Park at the HALO observatory.
Massachusetts
Maybe Massachusetts love of Butterfingers has something to do with why all that tea slipped out of their hands and into the harbor back in 1773. Doh! Perhaps not. But what our candy history tells us is that this state certainly loves this chocolate peanut butter candy bar. Over 2 million bars are eaten a year here.
Michigan
Detroit may be the car capital of the world, but Michigan as a whole is a candy-corn-loving capital. People in Michigan order more candy corn than any other candy from CandyStore.com. Since candy corn is aplenty come Halloween, it’ll be easy to dole out big handfuls to trick-or-treaters.
Minnesota
The year of 1979 was an important one for Minnesotans. It was the first time a Minnesota hospital performed a blood transfusion and the year in which the state’s favorite candy, Skittles, was invented. After nearly 40 years, we’re glad to see modern medicine has changed, but not the love for a classic American candy.
Mississippi
People in Mississippi sure know how to stick together. Not only is their favorite candy a symbol of teamwork (3 Musketeers), but so is Friendship Cemetery. Ever since the ladies of Columbus put flowers on the graves of both Confederate and Union army soldiers in 1866, America has been celebrating Memorial Day to remind us of bravery and coming together as one.
Missouri
Regular sized Milky Way chocolate bars are Missouri’s favorite candy. And they order plenty from us. At about four inches long, they’re nothing compared to the St. Louis man, Robert Pershing Wadlow, who broke a medical record for measuring in at eight feet, 11.1 inches tall. But if you stacked up the estimated 1.2 million Milky Ways eaten per year there, they’d be 75 miles tall!
Montana
The largest snowflake ever recorded was found in Montana and measured 15 inches! Maybe Montanans could try to set a new world record with their favorite candy, Dubble Bubble bubble gum. Currently, the world record for the largest bubble gum bubble ever blown is 20 inches in diameter.
Nebraska
Cornhuskers love their Sour Patch Kids. They also love their processed meats. Both Spam and the Reuben were created in Nebraska. Although, we don’t think Sour Patch Kids complement either very well. They’re probably best eaten as dessert!
Nevada
Nevada’s favorite candy, Hershey’s Kisses, looks a lot like the mountain ranges they’re known for. With tiny chocolate peeks, Nevadan’s can enjoy these little candies while looking at their 300 mountain ranges—the most in any state in the country.
And with the 3 million pounds a year they consume, they could probably create another mountain!
New Hampshire
The whole “Give me liberty, or give me death” mantra of New Hampshire made quite a splash when the state was the first of the 13 original colonies to declare its separation from England. That’s why we’re not shocked an explosive candy like Starburst is the state’s favorite.
New Jersey
People in New Jersey love their diners. In fact, the state actually has the most diners in the nation! What else does New Jersey have? The most love of Tootsie Pops. They’re one of three states who order this yummy lollipop more than any other candy.
New Mexico
New Mexico is one of the Four Corner States. Oddly enough, its favorite candy only has three. People from New Mexico love candy corn and we’ve been shipping boxes of it all year-long. Since the state is also known for its hot chili peppers, it’s no wonder they need something sweet!
New York
New Yorkers aren’t known to be the friendliest sort, but you can’t judge a book by its cover! That’s why we think it’s ironic and funny that people in New York state love Sour Patch Kids so much. The whole “First they’re sour. Then, they’re sweet” slogan couldn’t be more true. New Yorkers eat over 600,000 pounds of Sour Patch Kids a year.
North Carolina
Krispy Cream Donuts was founded in North Carolina, so the cat’s out of the bag about this region having a major sweet tooth. When it comes to candy, North Carolinians order Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups most.
North Dakota
Milk is the official state beverage of North Dakota—not pop. However, we find that milk makes more sense with North Dakota’s favorite candy, Hot Tamales. Milk is one of the best things to drink when you eat something spicy, since it calms the capsaicin that sets your tongue on fire but encapsulating it in fatty oils.
Ohio
Ohioans stop in their tracks for M&Ms chocolate candies. They also were the first to stop at a stop light in America. Cleveland is the site of the nation’s first traffic light, which was built in 1914.
Oklahoma
The official Oklahoma state flower used to be mistletoe, and now it’s a rose. How romantic! The state also keeps the romance alive by eating Snickers—a candy coated in a famous aphrodisiac (chocolate). Maybe that’s why they eat over 500,000 Snickers bars a year!
Oregon
Oregon is home to the awe-inspiring Crater Lake. Unsurprisingly, the state loves another crater-like candy, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. This candy didn’t form from an ancient volcano, but it does erupt with peanut buttery goodness with every bite.
Pennsylvania
Do you Pennsylvanians have no loyalty!? Even though Hershey’s is headquartered in Hershey, Pennsylvania, people in the Keystone State prefer Skittles—and lots of them.
Rhode Island
Rhode Island may be the smallest state in the U.S., but it has a big appetite for candy corn. Paralleled by the Atlantic, we’re happy to send them something sweet to offset all the salt.
South Carolina
The first shots of the Civil War broke out at South Carolina’s Fort Sumpter in April 1861. Luckily, there is no dispute about the state’s allegiance to candy corn. At CandyStore.com, we ship more candy corn to South Carolina residents than any other candy.
South Dakota
South Dakota memorialized Thomas Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt, George Washington, and Abe Lincoln in rock in Mt. Rushmore. Perhaps it wouldn’t mind chiseling in a space to represent Starburst, the states famous candy. South Dakota eats over 100,00 pounds of Starbursts a year. That’s a lot for South Dakota!
Tennessee
Tootsie Pops (Tennessee’s favorite candy) are named after the inventor’s loving nickname for his daughter, Tootsie. Tennessee was named The Volunteer State after it sent soldiers to help defend American freedoms in the War of 1812.
Texas
Texans tip their hats to Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. While the state is already big on barbecue and everything beef, it makes sense they like a decadent treat made of peanut butter and chocolate. Since everything is bigger in Texas, you should probably order some king sized Reese’s Cups for Halloween this year.
Utah
Utahans love their Jolly Ranchers candies. Maybe because it harkens back to pioneer days? Utah still has five national parks and six national forests to preserve the pristine nature that settlers enjoyed back in the 1800s.
Vermont
Vermont is a food lovers’ paradise. Aside from indulging in its favorite candy, Milky Way, Vermonters can chow down on Ben and Jerry’s ice cream, drink beer at over 45 craft breweries, and enjoy maple syrup from the state’s millions of sugaring trees.
Virginia
Hot Tamales are Virginia’s favorite candy. Virginia also happens to be the “hot” place if you want to be president. Eight U.S. presidents were born in Virginia, and so were six of their wives.
Washington
Washington state has 157 miles of coastline. No wonder the state loves its salt water taffy. From Seattle to Spokane, we sell a lot of it!
Washington D.C.
Washington D.C.’s favorite candy, M&Ms, are coated in a hard candy shell and a rainbow of colors. The White House is coated in 570 gallons of white paint!
They consume over 80,000 pounds of M&M’s a year. They should cover the White House in white M&M’s next time!
West Virginia
West Virginia is a mining state. That’s why it’s no shock that the people living there like to do a little digging to get to a prize. The Mountain State’s favorite candy is Blow Pops, and you have to get through a hard candy shell to be rewarded with the bubblegum within.
Wisconsin
The Badger State sure does badger CandyStore.com to send it pounds and pounds of Butterfinger candy bars. Just kidding! At CandyStore.com, we love mailing people candy they love most. What else do Wisconsin dwellers love? Cheese and football.
Wyoming
Big Sky Country has a big sweet tooth for Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. It’s also home to some of the least populated cities—one town only has one resident! So, Wyomingers won’t need to share Reese’s Cups with any neighbors if they don’t want to.
We’re happy to serve up favorite treats to people all over the country—and the world! If you need to shop for candy for Halloween, birthdays, holidays, or anything else, check out CandyStore.com’s supply. We have everything from color-coded treats to bulk candy selections to make any event delicious.
The post State-by-State Guide To the Nation’s Favorite Halloween Candy Using 8 Years of Data [interactive] appeared first on CandyStore.com Blog.