Halloween candy: M&Ms, Reese's and Sour Patch Kids among the top
The top three included M&M's, Reese's and Sour Patch Kids
Many Americans have already loaded up on candy to hand out to Halloween trick-or-treaters later this week.
In the lead up to the highly-anticipated holiday, an analysis published this month by CandyStore.com found some candies are more popular than others for Halloween on the national-level.
It reported M&M’s ranked No. 1 across the country, topping other candies for Halloween. The "first time" first-place ranking for M&M’s marked a divergence from Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup holding that title, the candy seller said.
CandyStore.com said it formulated its national ranking of "most popular" Halloween candies with 17 years worth of data from its bulk candy sales. It paid particular attention to the months preceding the annual holiday.
The following sweets made the top five "most popular" across the country, according to CandyStore.com:
1. M&M’s
Orlando, Winter Park, Rocket Fizz Soda Pop & Candy Shop, variety of M&M candy display. (Photo by: Jeff Greenberg/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) (Jeff Greenberg/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images / Getty Images)
2. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
Reese's packaging are seen in a shop in United Arab Emirates on November 24, 2023. (Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images) (Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images / Getty Images)
3. Sour Patch Kids
PARK CITY, UT - JANUARY 21: Sour Patch Kids on display at the Billboard Winterfest at Park City Live! on January 21, 2016 in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Mat Hayward/Getty Images for Billboard) (Mat Hayward/Getty Images for Billboard / Getty Images)
4. Skittles
KATWIJK, NETHERLANDS - MAY 19: A package of Skittles, a fruit-flavored candy, produced by Wrigley Company, a division of Mars, Inc., is seen in this illustration photo on May 19, 2020 in Katwijk, Netherlands. (Photo by Yuriko Nakao/Getty Images) ( Yuriko Nakao/Getty Images / Getty Images)
5. Starburst
Mars Inc's Starburst candy at a store in the Harlem neighborhood of New York, US, on Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024. Mars Inc. agreed to buy Kellanova for nearly $36 billion including debt, bringing together two major food companies in the biggest deal of (Bing Guan/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Of the top five, three of the brands – M&M’s, Skittles and Starburst – belong to Mars, Inc. Reese’s, the second-place holder, is a Hershey product, while Mondelez International makes Sour Patch Kids.
Hot Tamales, Candy Corn, Hershey Kisses, Hershey Mini Bars and Butterfingers have also been frequently purchased for Halloween, placing No. 6 through No. 10 respectively on the national-level, per CandyStore.com.
Hershey had the most products appear in the candy seller’s top-ten ranking.
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CandyStore.com’s analysis further showed the popularity of candies varied depending on the state.
In California, for example, people gravitated toward M&M’s the most. Nebraska’s No. 1 was Sour Patch Kids. Jolly Ranchers ranked first for Georgia. Meanwhile, Massachusetts favored Butterfingers.
Halloween, enjoyed by adults and children alike, will take place Thursday this year.
Purchases of Halloween candy were expected to amount to $3.5 billion this year, the National Retail Federation forecasted in September.
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A separate September survey from the National Confectioners Association pegged the percentage of Americans welcoming trick-or-treaters who intended to offer candy at 97%.
NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 31: Children go trick-or-treat at a restaurant on Halloween, October 31, 2019 in New York City. Halloween, which is named from "All Hallows' Eve", falls a day before All Saints' Day on November 1. (Photo by Jeenah Moon/Getty Im (Jeenah Moon/Getty Images / Getty Images)
Halloween trick-or-treaters can expect to get two or three pieces of candy from two-thirds of such people, it said.
In addition to Halloween, Easter and Valentine’s Day are also some big holidays for candy sales.