It’s officially October, which means if you haven’t already started celebrating spooky season, you now have no excuse. It’s time to start planning your festivities and Halloween snacks, brainstorming your costume, and pinpointing the best Halloween candy to hand out.
A person’s go-to Halloween candy can be heavily debated. Do you go for the classic chocolate or opt for gummies? Sweet or sour? Well, data from DoorDash tells us what the most popular candy state-by state is, based on the top candy purchases during all of October 2023.
So, what’s the most popular candy? To no surprise, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups—one of my favorites—was the most popular. It was the most-ordered in 24 states. But who knew Gushers would come in second place?
- Reese’s Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
- Gushers Tropical Fruit Flavored Snacks
- Twix Caramel Candy Bar
- Snickers Chocolate Candy Bar
- Nerd’s Sweet & Tangy Gummy Cluster Candy
- Kit Kat Milk Chocolate King Size Crisp Wafers
- Trolli Sour Bite Crawlers Gummi Candy
- Mike & Ike Chewy Candies Assorted Fruit Original
- M&M’s Peanut Milk Chocolate Covered Candies
- Airheads Xtremes Sour Belts
But what candy is the most popular in each state?
Of course, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and Gushers Tropical Fruit Flavored Snacks were the most popular. When it comes to Halloween, many people purchase variety packs. Mars Snickers, Twix, M&M’s assortments were the go-to in five states. And just three states had unique candy choices: Sour Patch Kids Watermelon in Alabama, Airheads Mini Candy in Louisiana, and Laffy Taffy Cherry Candy in New Mexico.
But what state ordered the most candy leading up to Halloween? Vermont might be small, but it took the number one spot, followed by South Dakota and Nebraska.
As the Associate Editor at Delish, Allie is a writer, reporter, and producer of features at the intersection of food and culture. Before Delish, Allie worked for publications including Apartment Therapy and Insider. She even spent time working in restaurants and breweries. Allie has dumpster-dived in NYC to expose food waste, reported on the invasive lionfish you can eat, and wrote about the growing trend of weed weddings. Her health and nutrition stories on hydration culture, bananas, and coffee have generated nearly 2M combined views. She loves traveling, running, and eating her way through new places and even has a thorough Google Maps ranking system for her favorite restaurants and bars! When not writing about food, she’s planning her next trip, lifting weights, or training for a race.
Expertise: food & culture (Sustainability, Health, Travel)
Education: M.S. in Journalism from Columbia University, B.S. in Information Science (User Experience Design) from the University of Michigan