Map: Instacart reveals America’s Halloween candy obsessions

History of candy corn

The tri-colored confection has been around for over 100 years.

October brings in the changing of the season — and also the unofficial start of Halloween season. Now is the time when we stock up on Halloween candy, and whether it’s for personal or trick-or-treating use is up for debate, of course.

Instacart, which offers grocery delivery and pick-up service, has revealed some of America’s Halloween candy obsessions — and the country is pretty evenly split over the top sweet treats.

Instacart has the stats on the top 10 most popular candies from Halloween 2021, giving insight as to what can be expected in the candy bowls again this year.

Top candy cravings

Instacart calculated the top candies based on the weight of each candy sold during October 2021, and found Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups reigned supreme. More than 116 tons were sold.

Coming in second was peanut M&M’s, with 92 tons sold.

The top candy by state

Instacart’s data dig even further, revealing where you are more likely to find either of the rival peanut-y chocolatey treats.

"While every type of candy is loved across the U.S. — from the Halloween classics to newer, innovative treats — we observed different areas of the U.S. will notably gravitate toward specific types of candy," noted Instacart’s Trends Expert, Laurentia Romaniuk. "Depending on who we are, where we’re from and what we’re exposed to, we are more likely to prefer one variation of candy over something similar."

There’s a near-even split in the U.S. with peanut M&M’s ranking most popular in the West and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups dominating in the East (and Wyoming).

The two exceptions are Hawaii and New Hampshire which chose M&M’s as their favorite Halloween candy.

Which states have sweet tooths?

A Sept. 2022 poll found 82% of Americans purchase Halloween candy regardless of whether or not they like Halloween.

But which state has the biggest sweet tooth? Utah.

States with the highest share of candy purchases through Instacart were Utah, Idaho, Alaska, Montana, and Washington.

States with the lowest share of candy purchases through Instagram were Florida, Delaware, Alabama, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

Halloween candy: A brief history

Let's take a brief look at the history behind Halloween candy and how it became the sweetest day of the year.

This story was reported from Detroit.