The most popular candy among the states is the Kit Kat, with 6 states claiming it as their favorite.
28 states prefer chocolate candies while 22 prefer gummies, fruit-flavored candies, and other non-chocolate candies.
The average American eats 8 pounds of candy per year.
As of 2022, the U.S. candy production market is worth $12.1 billion.
Want to get ahead at work?
Sure, you could impress with your hard work, perseverance, and talent, but have you considered bringing in candy instead?
People love food, whether it’s bringing in morning doughnuts, a baked treat, or seasonal goods- it’s sure to win you friends and influence people in the workplace. After all, who wants to fire the doughnut guy?
To assist you in your quest for office domination, we did the pesky work of finding each state’s favorite Halloween candy for the second year running, so you know what to bring to impress. Warning: Some of these states have a pretty crummy taste in candy.
What We Found Out
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Last year’s favorite Starburst was dethroned by Kit Kats and Twix bars.
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Halloween staple and not tasty candy Candy Corn is loved best in West Virginia.
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The winner is in, and between chocolate and non-chocolate candy, chocolate narrowly wins.
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Shout out to Ohio for knowing Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are the TRUE reason for the season.
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If you ever wondered who likes those little orange and black wrapped candies deceptively titled “peanut butter kisses,” the answer is, while not their favorite, South Dakota likes them best.
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Oklahoma isn’t much better, loving Circus Peanuts more than anyone other than my grandma.
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Some other weird choices? Tennessee munching on Runts and Colorado’s passion for Black Liquorice.
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Unsurprisingly, candy searches soar in October.
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Idaho, Maine, and Mississippi are for Dums Dums. The stick candy that is.
How We Determined This
Using Google Trends, we determined which states were the most avid fans of each candy. We examined 50 different popular (and some infamously unpopular) candies, giving us a range of sweets that puts any grocery store shelf to shame.
From there, we determined what candy is searched for a disproportionately, high amount. For example, while Tennessee eats all the candies the rest of the country does, the search interest in runts is excessively higher than in the remaining states- making runts more popular in Tennessee than anywhere else.
We, being sane reasonable humans, excluded gum from our candy list. Gum isn’t candy. Similarly, we excluded raisins, fruit snacks, and other things people try and pass off as candy to unfortunate trick-or-treaters. There is a reason some houses get egged on Halloween and it’s because they aren’t giving out treats.
You Can’t Go Wrong With Candy… mostly
While we did some candy-shaming in this article (much deserved, circus peanuts? Peanut butter kisses? Runts? Really?), at the end of the day candy is candy, especially when it’s free.
And if you’re buying it for yourself, buy all the gross-to-most candies you want if they bring you joy. It’s 2021, if Circus Peanuts make you smile, buy a big ol’ bag.
That said, if giving out candy to trick-or-treaters, maybe skip the peanut butter kisses. Those black and orange wrapped candies are not only tasteless but might take out a kid’s tooth. Why not consider snickers or skittles or literally any other candy in the world?
It might just save your house a new toilet paper ‘do.
See Also: National Food Holidays
Each States’ Favorite Candy
| State | Favorite Candy |
|---|---|
| Alabama | Skittles |
| Alaska | Milky Way |
| Arizona | Kit Kat |
| Arkansas | Skittles |
| California | Jolly Rancher Hard Candy |
| Colorado | Black Liquorice |
| Connecticut | Kit Kat |
| Delaware | Smarties |
| District of Columbia | Sour Patch Kids |
| Florida | Jolly Rancher Hard Candy |
| Georgia | Skittles |
| Hawaii | Crunch |
| Idaho | Dum Dums |
| Illinois | AirHeads |
| Indiana | Peanut MMs |
| Iowa | Tootsie Pop |
| Kansas | Peanut MMs |
| Kentucky | 100 grand bar |
| Louisiana | Starburst |
| Maine | Dum Dums |
| Maryland | Kit Kat |
| Massachusetts | Twix |
| Michigan | Kit Kat |
| Minnesota | Twix |
| Mississippi | Dum Dums |
| Missouri | 100 grand bar |
| Montana | Baby Ruth |
| Nebraska | Tootsie Pop |
| Nevada | Nerds |
| New Hampshire | Milky Way |
| New Jersey | Sour Patch Kids |
| New Mexico | Kit Kat |
| New York | Reese’s pieces |
| North Carolina | Twix |
| North Dakota | Whoppers |
| Ohio | Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups |
| Oklahoma | Circus peanut |
| Oregon | 100 grand bar |
| Pennsylvania | Good And Plenty |
| Rhode Island | Heath bar |
| South Carolina | Sour Patch Kids |
| South Dakota | Snickers |
| Tennessee | Runts |
| Texas | Jolly Rancher Hard Candy |
| Utah | Twix |
| Vermont | 3 Musketeers |
| Virginia | Reese’s pieces |
| Washington | Nerds |
| West Virginia | Candy corn |
| Wisconsin | Twix |
| Wyoming | Swedish Fish |
Author
Kathy is the head of content at Zippia with a knack for engaging audiences. Prior to joining Zippia, Kathy worked at Gateway Blend growing audiences across diverse brands. She graduated from Troy University with a degree in Social Science Education.
