Favorite Candy by State 2024

What Is the Most Popular Candy in the United States?

Even though many people associate candy with Halloween, the reality is that people eat candy throughout the year. So, what is the most popular candy in the United States?

According to data from the popular website CandyStore, Daily Meal published information about the most popular candy in each state.

Thirteen states listed M&M’s as their favorite candy, making it the popular candy choice. Skittles weren’t far behind with ten states: Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Rhode Island, and South Carolina. Seven states, Alaska, Nevada, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Wyoming, are big fans of Reese’s Peanut Butter cups.

This means over half of all states claim one of these three candies as their favorite.

Less Popular Candy Choices

While most candies were generally popular in many states, some states were more unique. Snickers and Sour Patch Kids each were listed as favorites by four states, while Jolly Ranchers made the top of the list in three states. Kit Kats, Twix, and Starburst each had two states that listed them as favorites.

Some candies only had one state listing them as a favorite. Hershey’s bars (Michigan), Milky Way (New Hampshire), and Swedish Fish (Kentucky) finished out the favorites list.

Candy Preferences

Looking at this list, there are some trends that emerge. Warmer, southern states are most likely to prefer fruity, hard candies to melty, chocolate candies. While there are some exceptions to this trend, it makes sense why people may prefer candies that can savor all year long.

Chocolate-based candy is most popular in 28 states, while the other 22 prefer fruity-flavored candies.

Holiday Candy Purchases

Although National Candy Month takes place in June, as previously mentioned most people associate candy with Halloween. The top five days for candy selling happen in October. In fact, over 10% of all candy sales each year happen in the few days before Halloween, with October 28 being the most popular candy sales day of the year. Although they are in third place looking at the year as a whole, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are the most popular candy choice in 18 states when looking at Halloween candy choices.

Some candies are also more popular at different times of the year. For example, Cadbury Creme Eggs were the most popular Easter candies in 24 states. Because Easter is the second-largest holiday for candy sales, this is a large number of Cadbury eggs being sold each year. Christmas and Valentine’s Day are also popular candy-consuming holidays, especially for chocolate-flavored candies.