What delicious sweets are people buying for Halloween? To discover the most popular Halloween candy sold in the United States and in each state, they examined patterns in digital commerce between October 2021 and October 2022.
Despite the enormous variety of Halloween candies on the shelves of American retailers, five favourites were the most popular in 49 of our 50 states. (Kentucky was the exception, selecting Butterfinger as their favourite sweet.) The top five Halloween candies in America as well as the best sweets in your state are listed in the following paragraphs.
The Top Five Halloween Candies
1. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
This time-tested favourite comfortably won the candy competition, taking home the title of most popular Halloween treat in 18 states, including populous ones like Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and California. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups managed to place second in a few states as well, including Delaware and Montana, which is not surprising.
Give our TikTok-inspired recipe for chocolate peanut butter rice cakes a try if you enjoy the sweet and salty combination of peanut butter and chocolate but would rather a healthier snack. If you still have Reese’s after trick-or-treating, use our recipe for peanut butter cup brownies to get your Christmas baking started.
2. Kit Kat
Half as many states as picked Reese’s their favourite candy, nine, chose Kit Kat as their favourite, which was enough to place the breakable candy bar in second place nationally. Kit Kats are the preferred candy in New York, Nevada, and New Mexico, and they also have a small but devoted following in some regions of the South and Northeast. If you’re one of those fans, you’ll adore making our Kit Kat-filled angel food cake recipe, which transforms them into a crispy, chocolaty treat.
3. Skittles
The only non-chocolate candy included among the top five Halloween candies is Skittles. Skittles were voted the best candy in five states: Arizona, Minnesota, North Dakota, Tennessee, and Washington. Additionally, it came in second place in a few states, including West Virginia and South Carolina.
4. Original M&M’s
This traditional candy, which finished as the fourth-most popular sweet treat overall after Skittles and Skittles, was a favourite in five states. Before the trick-or-treaters arrive, you might want to stock up on original M&Ms if you reside in Colorado, Hawaii, New Hampshire, Ohio, or Wyoming. If you’re addicted to these chocolates with candy coating, try them in our simple M&M popcorn ball recipe. You won’t be let down, they promise!
5. Snickers
Snickers completes the list of the top five Halloween candies in the country. The most popular candy in four states—Alaska, Idaho, North Carolina, and Rhode Island—was this chocolate bar packed with nougat, caramel, and peanuts. It beat out treats like Starburst, Hot Tamales, and Butterfinger.
Fans of Snickers rejoice! Create chocolate date bark to honour your obsession. The well-known TikTok recipe combines Medjool dates to create a healthier alternative that tastes exactly like your favourite candy bar, so no, it’s not a Snickers.
Take a look below at the “most popular” candies in each state –
| State | Top Candy | 2nd Place | 3rd Place |
| Alabama | Skittles | Starburst | Hershey’s Mini Bars |
| Alaska | Twix | Sour Patch Kids | Milky Way |
| Arizona | Hershey Kisses | Hot Tamales | Snickers |
| Arkansas | Butterfinger | Jolly Ranchers | M&M’s |
| California | M&M’s | Reese’s Cups | Skittles |
| Colorado | Milky Way | Hershey Kisses | Twix |
| Connecticut | Almond Joy | Milky Way | M&M’s |
| Delaware | Sour Patch Kids | Skittles | Life Savers |
| Florida | Reese’s Cups | Skittles | Hot Tamales |
| Georgia | Jolly Ranchers | Swedish Fish | Reese’s Cups |
| Hawaii | Hershey’s Mini Bars | Skittles | Butterfinger |
| Idaho | Snickers | Starburst | Candy Corn |
| Illinois | Sour Patch Kids | Kit Kat | Starburst |
| Indiana | Starburst | Hot Tamales | Jolly Ranchers |
| Iowa | Reese’s Cups | M&M’s | Hershey’s Mini Bars |
| Kansas | M&M’s | Sour Patch Kids | Reese’s Cups |
| Kentucky | Reese’s Cups | Hot Tamales | Swedish Fish |
| Louisiana | Lemonheads | Reese’s Cups | Blow Pops |
| Maine | Sour Patch Kids | Candy Corn | Starburst |
| Maryland | Hershey Kisses | Hershey’s Mini Bars | Reese’s Cups |
| Massachusetts | Butterfinger | Sour Patch Kids | Dubble Bubble Gum |
| Michigan | Starburst | Candy Corn | Butterfinger |
| Minnesota | Hot Tamales | Tootsie Pops | Skittles |
| Mississippi | 3 Musketeers | Snickers | Butterfinger |
| Missouri | Almond Joy | Milky Way | Hot Tamales |
| Montana | Twix | M&M’s | Dubble Bubble Gum |
| Nebraska | Sour Patch Kids | Salt Water Taffy | Twix |
| Nevada | Hershey’s Mini Bars | Hot Tamales | Hershey Kisses |
| New Hampshire | Reese’s Cups | M&M’s | Starburst |
| New Jersey | Tootsie Pops | M&M’s | Skittles |
| New Mexico | Hot Tamales | Candy Corn | Hershey’s Mini Bars |
| New York | Sour Patch Kids | Hot Tamales | Candy Corn |
| North Carolina | M&M’s | Reese’s Cups | Hershey’s Mini Bars |
| North Dakota | Hot Tamales | Candy Corn | Jolly Ranchers |
| Ohio | Blow Pops | M&M’s | Starburst |
| Oklahoma | Skittles | Dubble Bubble Gum | Snickers |
| Oregon | M&M’s | Reese’s Cups | Candy Corn |
| Pennsylvania | Hershey’s Mini Bars | M&M’s | Skittles |
| Rhode Island | M&M’s | Twix | Candy Corn |
| South Carolina | Skittles | Butterfinger | Candy Corn |
| South Dakota | Starburst | Jolly Ranchers | Candy Corn |
| Tennessee | Tootsie Pops | Salt Water Taffy | Skittles |
| Texas | Sour Patch Kids | Reese’s Cups | Starburst |
| Utah | Candy Corn | Tootsie Pops | M&M’s |
| Vermont | M&M’s | Skittles | Milky Way |
| Virginia | Butterfinger | M&M’s | Hot Tamales |
| DC | M&M’s | Tootsie Pops | Blow Pops |
| Washington | Tootsie Pops | Salt Water Taffy | M&M’s |
| West Virginia | Hershey’s Mini Bars | Blow Pops | Hot Tamales |
| Wisconsin | Butterfinger | Hot Tamales | Starburst |
| Wyoming | Reese’s Cups | Salt Water Taffy | Dubble Bubble Gum |