This State Buys More Candy Corn Than Anywhere Else

Most people have pretty strong opinions about candy. Just try asking a group to name the best and worst Halloween candy—the conversation will get more intense than a post-game playoff show.

As a candy connoisseur, I love trying new candy every year, like the new Butterfinger flavor and M&M’s freeze-dried candy. But I also love the classics, including candy corn. Boo! Hiss!

I don’t understand the candy corn hate, try as I might! These little tricolor triangles taste like sugar and have the texture of a novelty eraser. What’s not to like? Don’t tell me you never wanted to gnaw on the end of your pencil in grade school. I also love their sister candy: Brach’s Pumpkin Mellocremes.

So I was surprised to see that my home state of Illinois doesn’t even crack the top 10 states that love candy corn. According to candy corn maker Brach’s, there is a definite pattern of candy corn-lovers in the United States. The company even put together a map to show it, using candy corn sales data from 2024.

Which state loves candy corn the most?

This State Loves Candy Corn More Than Any Other State Brachs Candycorn Map — Courtesy Brach's

It’s Utah! The Beehive State loves candy corn, maybe because it kind of resembles a beehive? Or its craggy dessert landscape? This was surprising to me, considering that Utah isn’t even one of the country’s largest producers of corn. But don’t worry, the Midwest makes up a good chunk of the top 10.

These are the top 10 states for candy corn sales:

Utah
Iowa
Kansas
Indiana
Missouri
Kentucky
Michigan
Colorado
Oklahoma
Minnesota

So there is a good number of candy corn-loving states that are also among the country’s top corn producers: Iowa, Indiana, Kansas and Missouri. It’s interesting that while the Midwest overwhelmingly loves it, somehow Illinois and Wisconsin are only meh about the candy. Oh, well, that just means more for me!

Author

Hayley Schueneman

Hayley Schueneman (she/her) is an editor and writer for Taste of Home. She's loved all things food for as long as she can remember. Hayley has worked in media, marketing, food service and as a supervisor at Whole Foods, where a customer once threw a bag of quinoa at her head. (Don't worry, she still loves quinoa.) Her areas of expertise include veg...