Halloween season is all about dressing up in costumes, watching scary movies and of course, eating lots of candy.
In anticipation of Oct. 31, the grocery delivery company Instacart released a report detailing Americans’ Halloween candy preferences. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the top three picks in the U.S. are the ever-popular Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Peanut M&M’s, and regular M&M’s.
The folks at Instacart also took a look at the uniquely popular candy in each state.
“Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and Peanut M&M’s continue to claim their positions as the top two Halloween favorites across the entire nation,” Instacart trends expert Laurentia Romaniuk told HuffPost in an email, noting that the result “isn’t totally a surprise.”
“This is why we love to look at the most uniquely popular candy in each state — this isn’t the same as the ‘most popular candy’ in each state, but it tells us what candy each state buys more than the national average — aka which treats are more unique to their regional preferences,” she explained.
The Instacart experts put together this map by analyzing candy sales by weight in each state compared to the national average for the same products in October 2022.
So, the people in Louisiana, Missouri and New Mexico bought more Tootsie Pops than the national average, for instance. Meanwhile, Twizzlers got extra love along the East Coast.
“Each year, we’re excited to see how candy preferences shift,” Romaniuk added. “While some classic treats remain mainstays, we still see others climb and go down in the ranks. For example, this year, the top 10 Halloween candies list revealed some exciting changes with three newcomers: Tootsie Pops, Sour Patch Kids and Candy Corn — two classics and a candy with a modern sour twist — telling us there’s a nice blend of nostalgia and contemporary flavors showing up in candy baskets.”
In honor of Halloween, CandyStore.com also released a report with findings from its candy sales in the time period leading up to Halloween ever since 2007. Clearly, M&M’s and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups dominate across retailers.
Visit Instacart and CandyStore.com for more insights into America’s preferred Halloween sweets. And don’t forget to consume your spooky sugary treats responsibly!
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