Believe it or not, Halloween is only a little over three weeks away. And as much as the holiday is an excuse to party and plan a cute outfit, it is also the perfect time to eat candy as an addition to your breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Whether your sweet tooth favors all things chocolate, or is more fond of the fruity flavors, your preference may in fact have influence over what your state’s favorite candy is.
Online vendor CandyStore.com projects most popular halloween candy by state based on pounds purchased in bulk via CandyStore.com and other outlets. While sales data does not always translate to a clear preference for one candy or another, it’s still interesting to see what your state is buying out the most. For example, this year a surprising number of states, albeit only three (Minnesota, New Mexico, and North Dakota), have Hot Tamales as their most popular candy. And, curiously, Utah stands alone as the only fan of candy corn.
Picks like Sour Patch Kids and M&M’s are popular all across the nation, with six states (Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Nebraska, New York, and Texas) preferring the former and seven preferring the latter (California, Kansas, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington DC). Overall, exactly half of the top ten Halloween candies are chocolate, and the other half are fruit-flavored.
The most popular halloween candy by state
Alabama: Skittles
Alaska: Twix
Arizona: Hershey Kisses
Arkansas: Butterfinger
California: M&M’s
Colorado: Milky Way
Connecticut: Almond Joy
Delaware: Sour Patch Kids
Florida: Reese’s Cups
Georgia: Jolly Ranchers
Hawaii: Hershey’s Mini Bars
Idaho: Snickers
Illinois: Sour Patch Kids
Indiana: Starburst
Iowa: Reese’s Cups
Kansas: M&M’s
Kentucky: Reese’s Cups
Louisiana: Lemonheads
Maine: Sour Patch Kids
Maryland: Hershey Kisses
Massachusetts: Butterfinger
Michigan: Starburst
Minnesota: Hot Tamales
Mississippi: 3 Musketeers
Missouri: Almond Joy
Montana: Twix
Nebraska: Sour Patch Kids
Nevada: Hershey’s Mini Bars
New Hampshire: Reese’s Cups
New Jersey: Tootsie Pops
New Mexico: Hot Tamales
New York: Sour Patch Kids
North Carolina: M&M’s
North Dakota: Hot Tamales
Oklahoma: Skittles
Oregon: M&M’s
Pennsylvania: Hershey’s Mini Bars
Rhode Island: M&M’s
South Carolina: Skittles
South Dakota: Starburst
Tennessee: Tootsie Pops
Texas: Sour Patch Kids
Utah: Candy Corn
Vermont: M&M’s
Virginia: Butterfinger
Washington DC: M&M’s
Washington: Tootsie Pops
West Virginia: Hershey’s Mini Bars
Wisconsin: Butterfinger
Wyoming: Reese’s Cups
There’s also an interactive map that shows the visual results, as well as comparisons to previous years’ picks.