America’s Favorite Halloween Candy Might Surprise You—See What's Flying Off the Shelves

The list

1. 01

   Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups

   Chocolate-and-peanut-butter cup; the top candy, prevailing across the board.

2. 02

   Peanut M&M’s

   Chocolate candy ranked second nationally.

3. 03

   M&M’s

   Chocolate candy ranked third nationally.

4. 04

   Kit Kat

   Chocolate candy ranked fourth nationally.

5. 05

   Snickers

   Chocolate candy ranked fifth nationally.

6. 06

   Sour Patch Kids

   Sweet-and-sour variety; the only non-chocolate candy in the top five.

7. 07

   Hershey's Milk Chocolate

   Milk chocolate bar ranked seventh nationally.

8. 08

   Milky Way

   Chocolate candy ranked eighth nationally.

9. 09

   Twix

   Chocolate candy ranked ninth nationally.

10. 10

    HARIBO Goldbears

    Gummy candy ranked tenth nationally.

Facts from the original

• Spooky season seems to creep up earlier each year, with people unpacking Halloween decorations and stockpiling candy before summer is over.
• A recent report from Instacart shows that October is one of the most festive times of the year for its customers.
• On October 31 of last year, the share of orders containing candy was 100 percent higher than the yearly average.
• The top 10 most popular candies in the U.S. feature chocolate in the lead, with sweet and sour varieties also ranking high.
• Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups prevailed across the board.
• Controversial candy corn found its biggest fans in the Midwest and South, with Alabama, Kansas, Mississippi, and Nebraska stocking up far more often than the rest of the country.
• Utah was the state with the biggest sweet tooth overall, buying candy 50 percent more often than the national average in October 2024.
• The Mountain West and Midwest dominated the leaderboard, with Wyoming, Oregon, Idaho, and Nebraska rounding out the top five buyers.
• States like Hawaii, Florida, and California purchased candy at rates well below the national average.
• In October, candy corn makes up 2 to 3 percent of all candy orders on the platform, a pattern since 2017, according to Instacart.
• Mississippi orders candy corn 92 percent more often than the national average, with Nebraska and Kentucky rounding out the top three.
• Hawaii ordered candy corn 55 percent less often than average, followed by Washington, D.C., and Florida.
• Alex Orellana, trends analyst at Instacart, said candy corn is the ultimate Halloween wildcard: a nostalgic must-have in some states and the first candy left behind in the bowl in others.