It seems that the state of Alabama is less about chocolate but quite into the colorful, fruity candies. Alabama’s number one favorite candy is Starbursts, the modern favorite fruit chew candy known for being packed with flavor – but also for sticking to your teeth. In the months leading up to Halloween, Alabama residents purchased as much as 109,827 pounds of Starbursts.
The second-most purchased candy in the state was Skittles, which don’t stick to your teeth as much because they aren’t as sticky - so they have that going for them. Alabama purchased as much as 103,827 pounds of Starbursts which is a fairly close second place. But yeah, fruit candy is definitely Alabama’s thing.
In Alaska, sour candy is king with Sour Patch Kids leading the charge. The soft, fruity candy covered in inverted sugar and sour sugar is a favorite for kids and adults alike. In the months following Halloween, Alaska sells an average of 4,782 pounds of Sour Patch Kids, which is quite a bit considering the state’s population of 731,545.
But Alaska isn’t all about sour candy. They also like their chocolate and caramel candy bars. The second most purchased candy in the state is Twix with 4,572 pounds purchased. Milky Way is in third with 3,892 pounds purchased. So, clearly, the Alaskans have a range of tastes when it comes to candy.
You’d think Arizona would be hot enough for the people living there - but no, apparently, they like things just a little hotter. Arizona’s favorite candy is the Hot Tamale. The state purchases an astounding 770,928 pounds of Hot Tamales for the Halloween season. If you’ve never had a Hot Tamale, they are basically cinnamon-flavored jellybeans but a little chewier than regular jellybeans.
When Arizona wants things a little sweeter they go in for the kisses - the Hershey Kisses that is. Hershey Kisses are the bite-size chocolates you can pop in your mouth, straight from one of the most iconic candy brands in America. Of course, while people eat them plain, they also incorporate them in baking, so it’s difficult to say whether they were used specifically for Halloween or just enjoying as candy in general.
In Arkansas, they seems to enjoy the longer-lasting sweets. Jolly Ranchers are the favorite in this state, the hard candy that is packed with flavor. Everyone has their favorite Jolly Rancher no matter what state you are in but it seems Arkansas likes them all. The state purchased 211,337 pounds of Jolly Ranchers annually.
In second place, for Arkansas residents were Butterfingers. The notorious candy bar known for sticking to your teeth and for the Bart Simpson commercials is what the people crave. Of course, the candy bar is much older than Bart Simpson. It was introduced in 1923, almost 100 years ago. Since 2018, the candy bar has been owned by the Ferrara Candy Company.
In California, they are all about the peanut butter and chocolate combo. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are the candy of choice. Creamy chocolate over a creamy peanut butter mixture – what’s not to like? From the Hershey Company, Reese’s were introduced back in 1928. In Arkansas, they purchase about 1,209,299 pounds of Reese’s annually.
In second place, are Skittles, which is not too surprising as we do enjoy our fruit-flavored candy as well. They are easy to eat and not messy. And sometimes it can be extremely satisfying to just chug a whole package at once. Best of all, they are bringing the lime flavor back and dropping the apple, so the real Skittles are back.
Hershey Kisses are number one in Colorado. They are one of the oldest candies on this list, having been introduced in 1907. The cone-shaped bite-size candies wrapped in foil have been automatically wrapped since 1921 but before then, they were actually wrapped by hand and we can’t imagine how long that must have taken and painstaking that must have been. Colorado sells 119,050 pounds of Twix.
In second place, is Twix – the only candy bar with the cookie crunch. The cookie on its own, of course, is not very flavorful but topped with caramel and chocolate, it’s all a winning combination. Colorado sells an average of 115,797 pounds of Twix per year. We are assuming they are counting both the left and the right Twix.
Connecticut is evidently about that coconut candy as the Almond Joy is their number one pick at Halloween. The Almond Joy of course is the candy bar most of your kids probably hate. It’s coconut and almonds, covered in chocolate. It is produced by the Hershey Candy Company and approximately 2,873 pounds of it are purchased in the state.
Milky Way is the second-most favorite candy in Connecticut. The caramel and nougat candy bar is owned and manufactured by Mars Incorporated. It was first introduced in 1924 in the United States and by 1935, it was available worldwide. The people of Connecticut buy about 2,198 pounds per year.
Delaware is all about tasting the rainbow. Skittles is the top choice for the people of Delaware. Skittles, which are now produced and marketed by the Wrigley Company, a division of Mars, were at first commercially produced by a British Company in 1974 – named after the European sports game. In Delaware, around 19,827 pounds of Skittles are sold in the months prior to Halloween.
Delaware is definitely all about fruit-flavored candy though, in general. Second on their list of favorites are Life Savers, the ring-shaped hard candies that provide a refreshing fruity taste in your mouth. After that, there’s Sour Patch Kids, the sweet and sour soft candy. Neither of these options sell quite as well as Skittles though.
Like California, it’s the perfect peanut butter and chocolate combo that Florida craves. Florida sells an average of 578,292 Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups per year. Before Hershey got their hands on it, the Peanut Butter Cups were sold by the H.B. Reese Candy Company. They were his most popular candy at the time.
And as you’ll see is the case for many of the states on this list, Skittles are another favorite. As the second-most purchased candy, Florida purchased as much as 510,928 pounds of Skittles every year. That’s a whole lot of rainbow, even for a state as big as Florida. In third, are Starbursts.
In Georgia, the candy of choice is fish. And no, they aren’t sticking sardines in people’s trick or treat bags. By fish, we mean Swedish Fish. If you have never had Swedish fish, they are a soft candy much like Sour Patch Kids, only instead of being sweet and sour, they are just sweet as they contain no sour sugar coating.
Jolly Ranchers come in second place for Georgians. The hard fruit candy introduced in 1949 is produced by the Hershey Company and is owned by Highlander Partners, L.P. The original flavors consisted of only watermelon, apple, and Blue raspberry. Only until later were other flavors introduced including a black licorice Jolly Rancher.
While you might think tropical flavors when you think of Hawaii, it seems Hawaii prefers some good old-fashioned chocolate. Their favorite candy are Hershey’s Mini Bars. In Hawaii, an average of 25,827 pounds of Hershey’s Mini Bars are sold. While it might seem boring to some, eating some plain chocolate every now and then can really hit the spot.
Once again, Skittles comes in a close second place. Hawaii purchased 24,827 pounds of Skittles in the months leading up to Halloween. Since Skittles was initially introduced, there have been various Skittles variations available, including a Tropical variety, Wild Berry, and the best of all – Sour Skittles.
Idaho is a Starburst state. The box-shaped fruit chew candy is manufactured by the Wrigley Company, a division of Mars Incorporated. The candy was introduced in 1960, originally in the UK, before it was introduced in America. The original flavors were blackcurrant, lemon and lime, orange, and strawberry. Idaho sells 82,366 pounds annually.
Coming in at second place is Snickers. Idaho sells about 64,838 pounds of Snickers around the Halloween season. Owned by Mars Incorporated, Snickers features the perfect ration of chocolate, caramel, nougat and peanuts. The candy bar was first introduced in 1930, over 90 years ago. In the UK it was sold under the name: Marathon.
In Illinois, Sour Patch Kids are the most popular candy for the Halloween season. The sweet and sour candy was introduced in the 1970s and is now owned by Mondelez International. At first, they were called Mars Men but in 1985, the name was changed to the one we recognize today. It is said that 162,272 pounds of Sour Patch are purchased annually in Illinois.
Unexpectedly, Kit Kat is Illinois’s second choice - unexpected because Kit Kat has to be one of the most boring candy bars in existence next to the Three Musketeers Bar, which you will see once on this list. Anyway, in Illinois, 126,533 pounds of Kit Kats are sold – for some reason. To each their own.
Starbursts are all the rage in Indiana. The state buys an average of 92,026 pounds of Starbursts in the months leading up to Halloween. Like Skittles, there have been numerous variations of the original flavors over the years, including Tropical, Very Berry, Superfruit, Summer Blast and much more.
But the people of Indiana also require their cinnamon candy fix. Hot Tamales are the spicy jellybean that really hits the spot for Indiana residents. An average of 90,196 pounds of Hot Tamales are sold every year. Hot Tamales are manufactured and marketed by Just Born, a family-owned company.
Iowa prefers the candy that melts in your mouth but not in your hand. M&M’s are the candy of choice in the state with 64,031 pounds of M&M’s being purchased every year. The chocolate buttons surrounded with a candy shell are one of the great classic American candies, particularly popular around the holidays, offering festive holiday colors.
After that, there’s Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups which sell an average of 55,593 pounds per year. Reese’s in Iowa is a pretty big deal and certainly contributes a sizable portion of the nearly $2 Billion in sales that Hershey’s accumulates each year. With Reese’s starting to appear on the list again and again, it’s no surprise really.
And, yep, here is Reese’s again, as it is Kansas’s number one candy. The state purchases approximately 215,638 pounds of Peanut Butter Cups annually. Today, Reese’s come in a variety of – well – variations, including bigger cups, sugar-free, dark chocolate, marshmallow filled and many other available options.
M&M's are Kansas’s second choice with 201,837 sold annually. M&Ms are sold in a wide variety of flavors including milk chocolate, dark chocolate, peanut, almond, caramel; and crispy among others. They are considered to be the flagship product of the Mars Wrigley Confectionery division of Mars Incorporated.
Is this the last time you are going to see Reese’s on the list? Certainly not! Reese’s are the best-selling at 69,826 pounds annually, Kentucky knows a good candy when they see it, just like they know good beverages (Ahem…Bourbon). Once again, it’s peanut butter and chocolate for the win.
So, what is Kentucky’s second choice? It’s Swedish Fish! The soft red fish candy tastes nothing like fish to be clear, so don’t fret. The company sells 54,728 pounds of Swedish Fish and if you’ve ever had them, you know there is nothing fishy about that. You see what I did there? I probably shouldn’t have, but I did and there’s no going back.
What’s this? A different candy on the list? I have to admit: I didn’t see this coming. I honestly didn’t believe that anyone actually ate Lemonheads. I thought they were just some garbage candies they use to fill up those big bags of Halloween candy. In actuality, as many as 115,789 pounds of Lemonheads are purchased.
Okay, fortunately, Louisiana at least likes Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, so not all is lost. Louisiana residents purchase about 98,726 pounds of those. So yes, some people there are normal. But as to how others enjoy those hard, boring, lemon candies, I truly cannot fathom. What’s going on there, I cannot say.
Maine is yet another Sour Patch Kids state. They purchase around 58,378 pounds of Sour Patch Kids per year. Since the candy was released in 1970, there have been numerous flavors released other than the classic red, yellow, orange, and green. Blue was added to the original mix but plenty of other mixes have been released since.
Starburst is the second candy that the people of Maine prefer. The state sells 46,829 pounds of them annually. Starburst may stick to your teeth and you may have to put extra effort into brushing but the people seem to agree that its well worth it. On a side note, the cherry ones are the best ones.
Maryland is all about Hershey. At the top of their favorite list are Hershey Kisses. Easy to eat and enjoy as it melts away in your mouth, Hershey kisses are one of the most efficient ways to get a chocolate fix and you can easily watch your intake to ensure you are enjoying your treats in moderation. About 34,827 pounds are sold each year.
Yep, Reese’s is back. Maryland purchases 33,849 pounds per year. Reese’s are really the perfect candy because they usually are packaged one or two at a time, so you don’t overindulge. Okay fine, eat the whole bag – I’m certainly not going to judge. Just save some for the kids. Eh, who am I kidding? Eat them all.
Massachusetts loves their Sour Patch Kids too. So much, in fact, that’s actually how the American Revolution started. John Adams and Samuel Adams were protesting the taxes on Sour Patch Kids by King George III and the king was like “Nah, boys, we need that sweet candy tax to pay off all this debt.”
And then the colonists were like, “Then we’ll mess you up.” And that’s what happened. Okay, I made that up for the most part. I mean, it vaguely resembles history, but I digress. Anyway, the second-most beloved candy in Massachusetts is the Butterfinger named after the guy who fired the first shot at the Boston Massacre – okay, fine, I made that up too. Stay in school kids.
Michigan prefers the chewy, fruity and juicy Starburst candies. The state purchases as many as 110,748 pounds of it. As mentioned earlier, Starbursts were originally available in the UK but it didn’t take long for the US to adopt them as well. The original US flavors were strawberry, lemon, orange and lime.
Their second choice in Michigan is a little controversial, particularly among millennials and later generations. We are, of course, talking about candy corn. In Michigan, the state sells about 98,736 pounds of candy corn. While there are a lot of people out there that hate candy corn, Michigan is not one of them.
If there is one mystery for the ages, it’s: how many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop? However, Minnesota might know as they are purchasing more Tootsie Pops than anyone. Minnesota purchases an average of 181,827 pounds of Tootsie Pops annually and that’s a whole lot of licking.
And then there is their second choice: Skittles. Yes, Skittles – America is not done with you yet. Skittles were first introduced to America in 1979 but only as an import. It wasn’t until 1982 that the domestic production of Skittles started in the United States. And as you can probably tell, it really took off.
Okay, there is one candy bar that is even more boring than a Kit Kat: the Three Musketeers bar. But apparently, Mississippi thinks they are great. If you imagined a Milky Way and took out the caramel, which is the best part, you’d be left with a Three Musketeers. It's like having a sundae without hot fudge, caramel, butterscotch or any other sauce. Strangely, the state purchases 92,736 pounds of it for the Halloween season.
Fortunately, Mississippi doesn’t seem to have anything against caramel per se. Their second choice is the Snickers which is kind of like a Three Musketeers but with caramel and peanuts. It’s easily a lot more filling and has some protein, making it the perfect breakfast for lazy people. Kidding of course, you should probably have like a high fiber cereal or eggs or something – I guess.
Now take away the peanuts from Snickers and you have the Milky Way – Missouri’s favorite candy. The state of Missouri purchases around 44,827 pounds of Milky Ways annually. That’s a whole lot of caramel, a whole lot of nougat and a whole lot of chocolate – yummy, but personally I prefer Milky Way Midnights.
After Milky Way, Missouri loves their Almond Joys with shredded coconut and almonds. Manufactured by Hershey’s, the Almond Joy has been around since 1946. It is a variation of the Mounds bar which is just filled with coconut and was a hit with the military during WWII. Missouri purchases about 38,721 pounds annually.
Montana prefers bubble gum it seems. The state purchases about 28,736 pounds of Dubble Bubble Gum per year. The classic pink gum was invented by Walter Diemer, an accountant at Fleer Chewing Gum Company in 1928. Pink was chosen upon its invention, merely because it was the only color available in the factory at the time.
The other candy of choice for Missouri is Twix. The Twix candy bar with the cookie crunch, caramel and chocolate is always a wonderful indulgence. Whether the Missourians prefer the left Twix or the Right Twix, in general, is still up for debate to this very day. But everyone knows the left one is the best.
Nebraska chooses Sour Patch Kids. They purchase 92,823 pounds annually. While the true origins of the name Sour Patch Kids (previously Mars Men) are unknown, it is believed that the name was given to capitalize on the success of Cabbage Patch Kids – which definitely makes sense.
No doubt Nebraska prefers their candy-sweet and sticky as their second choice is Salt Water Taffy. Salt Water Taffy is one of the classic candies that always tastes good for the most part, but then there are those gross orange and black wrapper ones that kids always seem to get in their trick-or-treat bags.
Nevada loves their Kisses – Hershey Kisses that is. In fact, they seem to like Kisses more than any other state, purchasing as many as 293,248 pounds annually. The teardrop candies faced a little controversy recently back in 2018 due to a social media post on Facebook – and it all had to due with a manufacturing problem.
And no, it has nothing to do with contamination. A member of the Wedding Cookie Table Community posted a picture of a tipless Hershey Kiss. Other members of the community also chimed in and found that they too were missing tips to their Kisses. Then the controversy hit Twitter and Hershey responded at first by saying it was deliberate and then they backtracked on that and claimed they were looking into improving production for the future.
New Hampshire likes their M&Ms, having purchased around 65,782 pounds of it. M&Ms are sold in over 100 countries and have been since 2003. They are produced in a variety of different colors, all of which have changed over the years. In the ‘40s for instance, there was a violet color that went out of production by 1950.
Red went out of production somewhere between 1975 and a little after 1985 but returned by 1990. Tan was a color introduced around 1950 and went out of production in 1995. It was replaced with the Blue M&M. So now, the colors are brown, yellow, orange, red, blue and green, making green, yellow and brown the only consistent colors over the years.
New Jersey also loves their M&Ms. It is a colorful state after all, in some ways. New Jersey purchases 141,782 pounds of M&Ms annually. But can anyone explain if they are so popular in New Jersey why Tony Soprano wasn’t chowing down on them in the Sopranos series? Bet you can’t.
Tootsie Pops are New Jersey’s second choice. The hard candy lollipops filled with a Tootsie roll center are another hit for the state, selling 137,992 pounds. They were introduced in 1931. The original assortment included chocolate, raspberry, cherry, orange, grape, and lemon of which was discontinued in the ‘80s and returned in 2016.
New Mexico’s favorite candy is not blue meth, sorry Breaking Bad fans. It’s actually Jolly Ranchers. They purchase 75,447 pounds of it per year. In 2017, some spicy Jolly Ranchers were released – they included watermelon & cayenne, blue raspberry & sriracha, cherry & habanero, and green apple & ginger.
Candy corn is their second choice. While people don’t appreciate it much now, the cone-shaped candy made to resemble corn on the cob is a Halloween tradition that originates back in the late 1880s. It was originally known as “chicken feed” and was produced by the Wunderle Candy Company, and then the Goelitz Confectionery Company – now known as Jelly Belly.
New Yorkers’ favorite candy is Sour Patch Kids. The sweet then sour candy is always a hit with kids and there are plenty of adults who love it as well. While they are only mildly sour, Sour Patch Kids Extreme has been introduced with a more intense sour taste and different flavors from the regular mix. New York purchases 138,750 pounds.
The second choice for New Yorkers is the Hot Tamale. New York purchases 129,337 pounds of this spicy jellybean. The candy which was introduced in 1950, was the top-selling cinnamon candy of 1999. There is also a spicier variety of Hot Tamales called Hot Tamales Fire, which is still in production.
Really surprised to see Reese’s on the list again? Of course, you are not. North Carolina is also into Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. They purchase around 83,928 cups in the months leading to Halloween. So if you haven’t quite registered this yet, everybody pretty much loves Reese’s unless they are allergic to peanuts.
But North Carolina residents are clearly not allergic to peanuts because their second favorite candy is Snickers. They purchase about 78,625 pounds. Like Reese’s Snickers have become a huge hit and now there are many varieties available such as Almond, Hazelnut and even Brownie. And on top of that: Snickers ice cream bars.
Hot Tamales is the top choice in North Dakota. The state purchases 58,726 pounds of Hot Tamales. Of course, Hot Tamales are not for everyone. Not everyone can handle spicy candy and not everyone likes cinnamon. I mean they are wrong, but those people exist is what I’m saying. Anyway…
Jolly Ranchers are the second-most purchased candy in the state, and a clear favorite for those with a sweet tooth. About 52,839 pounds are sold annually in the state. Jolly Ranchers are always the perfect candy to keep around offices because they can satisfy taste buds as you work and keep you mildly entertained.
Ohio looks forward to their Blow Pops every Halloween. Leading up to the holiday, the state purchases as many as 157,827 Blow Pops. Evidently, they like lollipops that do an excellent job of cutting the roof of your mouth, just so you can get to the gum in the center. Of course, we are complaining – it’s totally worth it.
But Ohio does have a range of states when it comes to candy. When they want chocolate, the go for the M&Ms, which sell about 148,727. When they want something fruity, they go for the fruit chews – like Starbursts, which account for 132,890 in sales annually.
Oklahoma prefers to keep their regular candy and gum separated. Skittles are at the top of their list, purchasing as much as 19,232 pounds in a year. This isn’t the most of any state but it’s still impressive, nevertheless. So what about the other candies after this list?
Dubble Bubble Gum sells as much as 14,990 pounds of gum per year. Originally, like Bazooka, Dubble Bubble featured comic strips inside the wrapper. The characters of the comic were Dub and Bub, which were introduced in 1930. By 1950, however, they were replaced with Pud and pals.
M&Ms and Oregon go together like…M…and Ms. The nearly 80-year-old candy began in a factory in Newark, New Jersey. The M’s on the candy represent Forrest E. Mars Sr. and Bruce Murrie, the founder of the Newark Company and its majority shareholder, respectively.
When H.B. Reese died, he passed on his company to his six sons. They merged with Hershey in a tax-free stock-for-stock merger that would make them all rich. Only six years after the merger, in 1969, the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups would become Hershey’s top-selling candy. The rest is history as they say – well, actually that was the history, what I said just now. But anyway…
Appropriately, Hershey Mini Bars are a Pennsylvania favorite. In case you aren’t aware, the Hershey headquarters are located in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The town was founded by confectioner Milton S. Hershey in 1903. Before it became Hershey, Pennsylvania, it was his hometown known as Derry Church.
Around 239,081 pounds of Hershey Mini Bars are sold in the months prior to Halloween, which is pretty significant, and M&Ms come in at a close second. Selling 215,637 pounds of M&Ms annually, these candy-coated chocolate pieces are also a hit with Pennsylvania residents. It seems chocolate is king there.
Rhode Island is Twix state, selling about 15,627 pounds annually. Twix was first produced in 1967 in the UK and then introduced to the United States in 1979. In Europe, however, it was first known as the Raider bar before being changed in 1991, making Twix the international brand name.
M&Ms in Rhode Island are another beloved treat. Rhode Island purchases about 13,291 pounds of M&Ms. Now whether those are the plain or peanut variety, I’m not sure but hopefully the peanut ones because those are the best ones, well, besides the mint chocolate ones available during the winter.
South Carolina is all about the Butterfinger. Selling around 112,879 pounds annually, the Butterfinger leads the pack in candy sales. Just be sure that when your kids eat it, they brush their teeth thoroughly. That goes for any candy really but especially Butterfingers. Now let’s move on…
South Carolina’s second choice is Skittles. They purchase about 108,764 pounds of Skittles per year. At one point, in 2018, Skittles were their top choice. However, the stats are pretty close so not too much has changed. South Carolina likes Butterfingers and Skittles – and probably cavities it seems too.
The Starburst in South Dakota is the top choice. The state purchases about 23,670 pounds of them every year. Now since I’ve talked about Starbursts quite a bit so far, I’d like to dedicate the rest of this slide to my complaints about the lemon flavor of Starburst that should be removed as soon as possible.
You see, the lemon is the absolute worst of all the Starbursts. It tastes like household cleaner and it’s disgusting. A while back they had a vote to replace it with like lime, or perhaps apple, but regardless, they should have replaced it. This really goes for a lot of lemon candy but most Starburst. Lemon is boring and unless it just exists to make you wish you had more of the other flavors, then it doesn’t belong there. End of rant.
Tennessee is about them Tootsie Pops. They don’t sell as many as other states but they sell around 54,829 pounds, which is certainly still a lot. I’d like to take this time now to clarify something about Tootsie Pops and a rumor that kids always spread around about getting free ones. It’s a scam. Don’t believe anything kids tell you.
The rumor says that if you have the Tootsie Pop with the wrapper that features a Native American shooting a star from a bow and arrow, that you get a free Tootsie Pop. But it’s a lie, spread because one candy store owner allegedly had that policy and that guy probably isn’t even alive anymore.
But yeah, seriously, go away lemon! Sorry, Starbursts, right. Let’s talk about them Starbursts. When ranked it's 1. Cherry, 2. Strawberry, 3. Orange…4. Lemon. In Texas, Starbursts are a clear favorite with 916,491 pounds sold. That’s almost a million pounds – which is obviously a lot of candy.
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups come in second place. The state sells as many as 880,526 pounds of them. Some candy shops have tried to replicate them, some people try to make them at home but they are never the same. Hershey makes Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and that’s just the reality of it. Sorry, not sorry.
Utah’s candy of choice is the Tootsie Pop. The state is mostly known for its beautiful scenery and Salt Lake City, so it’s not really surprising that they don’t have a very interesting candy of choice. Residents of Utah purchase an average of 405,662 pounds of Tootsie Pops per year, which is quite a bit.
When Utah residents don’t feel like holding a stick in their hands, they tend to grab a hard candy – namely – Jolly Ranchers. Jolly Ranchers are the second choice for Utah residents. Around 294,759 pounds of Jolly Ranchers are sold in the state. After that, their choice is candy corn.
Okay, time for Vermont. Surely Vermont is into something unique, like some kind of maple candy, maybe? Wrong. They are into Skittles. They want to taste the rainbow just like the best of them. And as far as I’m aware, none of them are maple-flavored. Around 31,702 pounds of Skittles are purchased annually.
When Vermont residents want their chocolate fix, they don’t shy away from the candy shell. Their second candy choice is M&Ms, selling 23,292 pounds annually. Clearly, Vermont residents prefer candy you can pop in your mouth and eat in moderation or to your heart’s content.
Virginians are no virgins when it comes to spicy candy. The state sells 155,272 pounds of Hot Tamales each year. That’s a hell of a lot of cinnamon candy. See what we did there? Hell…because you know...it’s hot? Alright, sorry. Point is that Virginians like a little spice in their life and that’s just what the Hot Tamale provides.
When Virginia residents are looking for a heartier candy bar, they grab a Snickers. Really, there’s nothing quite like a Snickers. It’s probably the only candy bar that can really satisfy and fill you up. Virginia buys about 152,839 pounds of Snickers in the months leading up to Halloween.
Washingtonians love Tootsie Pops most of all. What is it about the cool damp PNW climate that makes Washingtonians grab a lollipop for comfort? Who can say? But one thing is certain: 186,570 pounds of Tootsie Roll Pops are sold in the state. That’s a whole lot of sucking, which the Seahawks fans should know a lot about.
Next up for Washingtonians is salt water taffy. It’s almost as popular as Tootsie Pops but not quite as much. Salt water taffy is only known to the United States. The only thing they have in the UK that resembles taffy is Starburst and which is known as a fruit chew there.
West Virginia prefers some simple chocolate. Hershey Mini Bars are their favorite with 53,930 purchased annually. While not every adult is going to be excited about a plain milk chocolate candy bar, they are certainly great for kids and also for putting on smores, so yeah, nice choice West Virginia.
The second candy of choice is the Charms Blow Pop. Similar to Tootsie Pops, these lollipops feature gum instead of Tootsie Rolls. Charms popularized the candy but in 1988, the company was sold to Tootsie Roll Industries. And with the success of the Blow Pop and Tootsie Rolls, they became the biggest manufacturer of lollipops in the world.
In Wisconsin everyone has Butterfingers. Manufactured by the Ferrara Company, the candy bar was founded by the Curtiss Candy Company in Chicago. It was successfully market early on when the company dropped Butterfinger and Babe Ruth candy bars from airplanes across major cities. In 1934, it was promoted in a Shirley Temple film, Baby Take a Bow.
Wisconsin purchases 103,827 pounds of Butterfingers annually. Their second most purchased candy is Starburst and their third-most purchased candy is the Hot Tamale. This goes to show what diverse taste they have in the state. But of course, their biggest claim to fame will always be their cheese production. So, where’s the cheese candy? Actually, we’d rather not think about that.
Okay, this is it. This will be the last time we talk about Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Why, you ask? Because we have in fact, come to the end of the list. Wyoming’s candy of choice is Reese’s 24,746 pounds of Reese’s in the months leading to Halloween. But that’s not a lot considering there isn’t much else to do in Wyoming.
The second candy of choice for Wyoming is Salt Water Taffy. The origin of this candy can be traced back to Atlantic City, New Jersey in the late 1880s. It could be found on the boardwalks of Atlantic City where it is still sold. Obviously, it was a huge success and spread throughout the United States – including the state of Wyoming.
