(NEXSTAR) – What types of candy can we expect to steal from our children’s trick-or-treating bags this year?
A new study just might have the answer.
CandyStore.com, an online candy retailer specializing in wholesale and bulk orders, has once again attempted to determine the “most popular” Halloween candies by state, based largely on historical sales data from 15 years’ worth of Halloweens. The site’s analysts say they also consulted with “major” candy manufacturers and distributors to fine-tune the findings — some of which came as a surprise to CandyStore’s own executives.
“It’s insane that every single state is not Reese’s Cups,” said Ben George, the marketing director of CandyStore.com, in a statement shared with Nexstar. “That alone is shocking enough, but some of the actual favorites from each state defy rational taste bud-ology.”
The results of the study suggest that parents of trick-or-treaters can expect to find plenty of Reese’s Cups, Skittles and M&M’s (the top-selling candies in the U.S., overall) to surreptitiously steal from their children when their little backs are turned.
But which candies, specifically, are the “most popular” in your neck of the woods? CandyStore has a state-by-state breakdown of top-purchased candies from its platform. Have a look at the chocolates, sweets and confections you can plan to pilfer from your little ones after they fall asleep on Oct. 31:
| Alabama | Skittles |
| Alaska | Sour Patch Kids |
| Arizona | Hershey Kisses |
| Arkansas | Butterfinger |
| California | Reese’s Cups |
| Colorado | Hershey Kisses |
| Connecticut | Almond Joy |
| Delaware | Sour Patch Kids |
| Florida | Reese’s Cups |
| Georgia | Swedish Fish |
| Hawaii | Hershey’s Mini Bars |
| Idaho | Snickers |
| Illinois | Sour Patch Kids |
| Indiana | Starburst |
| Iowa | M&M’s |
| Kansas | M&M’s |
| Kentucky | Reese’s Cups |
| Louisiana | Lemonheads |
| Maine | Sour Patch Kids |
| Maryland | Hershey Kisses |
| Massachusetts | Sour Patch Kids |
| Michigan | Starburst |
| Minnesota | Hot Tamales |
| Mississippi | 3 Musketeers |
| Missouri | Milky Way |
| Montana | Twix |
| Nebraska | Sour Patch Kids |
| Nevada | Hot Tamales |
| New Hampshire | M&M’s |
| New Jersey | Tootsie Pops |
| New Mexico | Hershey’s Mini Bars |
| New York | Sour Patch Kids |
| North Carolina | Reese’s Cups |
| North Dakota | Hot Tamales |
| Ohio | M&M’s |
| Oklahoma | Skittles |
| Oregon | M&M’s |
| Pennsylvania | Hershey’s Mini Bars |
| Rhode Island | Twix |
| South Carolina | Butterfinger |
| South Dakota | Jolly Ranchers |
| Tennessee | Tootsie Pops |
| Texas | Starburst |
| Utah | Tootsie Pops |
| Vermont | M&M’s |
| Virginia | Hot Tamales |
| Washington, DC | M&M’s |
| Washington | Tootsie Pops |
| West Virginia | Blow Pops |
| Wisconsin | Butterfinger |
| Wyoming | Reese’s Cups |
No matter which candy might be most popular in your state, CandyStore.com expects there to be plenty of it in 2022. The National Retail Federation estimates consumer spending for Halloween to exceed pre-pandemic levels, at around $10.6 billion in total. What’s more, 96% of survey participants said they intend to spend around a third of their Halloween budget on candy alone.
More information, including the No. 2 and No. 3 “most popular” candies in each state, can be found at CandyStore.com.