Last year, data and measurement company Nielsen measured that yearly Halloween candy sales in the US had grown to $547,887,386. That's worth over 5 million pounds of sweets! Trick-or-treating or not, you're bound to contribute to this outrageous number this October. Which candies are the culprits for these statistics?
I examined the top three favorites in each state with data from CandyStore.com, a massive candy distributor, to find out the most popular Halloween candy in the US. The pounds of candy for the top three favorite candies in each state were added up to figure out which candies are the America's favorites.10. Candy Corn
Sales: 960,109 lbs
Before the haters close out of their browsers in contempt, just look at that number and accept the facts. Candy corn is, in fact, one of America's most popular Halloween candies, despite having caused countless heated debates and broken friendships every year. Sure, they might just be small chunks of sugar, corn syrup, and confectioner's wax. Still, candy corn can be ridiculously satisfying to munch while sorting through your candy bowl for your more favored treats.
9. Jolly Ranchers
Sales: 974,883 lbs
Most commonly sold as fruity hard candies, Jolly Ranchers have been around since 1949 in forms including jelly beans, fruit chews, lollipops and gummies. An extremely versatile Halloween candy, they can be used for anything from cocktails to candy roses.
8. Tootsie Pops
Sales: 1,010,427 lbs
Maybe this Halloween you can find out how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop. Filled with the classic chocolate-flavored Tootsie Roll, these lollipops have been around since 1931. The candy flavors have expanded from chocolate and cherry to green apple and candy cane over the years, and remain one of America's most popular Halloween candies today.
7. Hershey's Kisses
Sales: 1,597,496 lbs
This popular Halloween candy has been around for over 100 years, and is an essential for many other sweet treats, such as peanut butter cookies. You can learn more about the creation and history of Hershey's by visiting Hershey's Park, a theme park named after the chocolate company.
6. Snickers
Sales: 1,742,197 lbs
The distinguished mixture of crunchy and chewy textures of a Snickers bar ranks it as America's sixth most popular Halloween candy. Invented in 1930, the tasty combination of peanuts, nougat, caramel, and chocolate was actually named after one Frank Mars (founder of Mars Inc.)'s favorite horses.
5. Salt Water Taffy
Sales: 1,768,770 lbs
A popular coastal treat, salt water taffy remains a favorite during the chilly fall months. Surprisingly, these chewy sweets don't actually contain any salt water, but do contain the ingredients separately. Good luck getting them out of your teeth!
4. Starburst
Sales: 2,506,420 lbs
When Starburst launched in the UK in 1960, they were originally called "Opal Fruit." Imagine offering "Opal Fruits" to trick-or-treaters at Halloween. Thankfully, the name was changed to "Starburst" in 1967 and have been satisfying American sweet teeth since then.
3. M&M's
Sales: 2,698,112 lbs
Something is so satisfying about ripping into a bag of shiny, bright M&M's on Halloween. Don't forget the amazing variety of chocolates that are offered: Peanut, Dark Chocolate, Pretzel, Peanut Butter, Mint, and now Caramel. You're bound to devour at least a handful of one of the many M&M's flavors this "holiday season."
2. Reese's Peanut Butter Cup
Sales: 3,035,652 lbs
America's love for combining chocolate and peanut butter shines through in this list! Originally named "penny cups" in 1928, Reese's creates enough peanut butter cups each year to feed one cup to every person in the US, Africa, Europe, Japan, Australia, India, and China.
#SpoonTip: Make sure you know how to pronounce Reese's the right way before passing it out on Halloween.
1. Skittles
Sales: 3,049,265 lbs
Every day, over 200 million Skittles are produced so consumers know what it's like to "taste the rainbow." Aside from the original flavors of cherry, orange, lemon, lime, and grape, Skittles has also granted us sour and tropical flavors to mix up our tastebuds every Halloween. With diversity like this, it's no wonder that Skittles comes out on top as America's favorite Halloween candy.
Surprised by the sweets that made it to this list? Whether you're a fan of these classic treats or prefer something novel, it's the best time of year to eat your favorite candy bars. Happy snacking!