This Map Shows the Most Popular Halloween Candy in Your State

Christmas might be the top contender for my favorite holiday of the year, but Halloween forever has my heart. Between excitedly getting ready in my costume with friends after school to trick-or-treating well into the night, there was always fun to look forward to. We’d pick through all our candy afterward—it never lasted long. Then, after we ate through all the important stuff, our parents would gather up what remained for some delicious leftover Halloween candy recipes. No wasting in this house!

But how do our favorites fare against the most popular Halloween candy across the country? Here are the stats.

The Most Popular Halloween Candy in Every State

courtesy Instacart

It can be incredibly difficult to pick out a favorite candy during Halloween. With so many options, how is anyone supposed to just choose? Well, we’ve got some important candy stats from our friends over at Instacart, and we think you deserve to know.

Here are the most popular Halloween candies purchased in 2021 (in tons):

1. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (116 tons)
2. Peanut M&M’s (94 tons)
3. M&M’s (92 tons)
4. Snickers (65 tons)
5. Hershey’s Milk Chocolate (65 tons)
6. Twizzlers (56 tons)
7. Kit Kat (49 tons)
8. Twix (48 tons)
9. Starburst (37 tons)
10. Milky Way (36 tons)

It seems there’s a pretty clear divide between states when it comes to favorites. Half the country picked Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups as their favorite candy (the east) while the other half chose Peanut M&M’s as their absolute fave (the west). The glaring outlier in the west was Wyoming, which revolted and chose Reese’s as their favorite, too. There were two main outliers who went against the grain and chose M&M’s as their pick: New Hampshire and Hawaii. But that’s just for chocolate.

courtesy Instacart

While 84% of the people who buy Halloween candy prefer chocolate—and that’s no surprise—some people do choose other options. After calculating out the chocoholics, 56% of people who buy candy choose the chewy and fruity stuff. That explains the heavy debate on Twizzlers v. Red Vines—for me, it’s Twizzlers all the way.

The Halloween Candy Facts You Need to Know

• Some states buy a ton of candy…and some don’t. The five states that bought the highest amount of candy, in order, are Utah, Idaho, Alaska, Montana and Washington. On the flip side, the five states that bought the least amount of candy, in order, are Florida, Delaware, Alabama, North Carolina and South Carolina.
• People are loyal to their candy. Did you know that 65% of people have been buying the same candy for five years or more? On top of that, 40% of people have been buying the same kind of candy for 10 years or more. Now that’s candy loyalty!
• Almost everyone has leftover candy. Last but not least, 88% of Americans end up with a leftover Halloween stash, and 86% of those people keep that candy for up to 6 months. What’s the candy most likely to stay in the leftover stash? Yup, it’s chocolate. Seems like a good time to brush up on how long Halloween candy lasts!

Whatever candy this year, we know you’ll make the right choice. And hey, if you need a little point in the right direction, why not look up what Halloween candy is best for your zodiac sign? Happy haunting!