Find Out Which Halloween Candy Is Most Popular in Your State

As a child, the thought of sorting your candy stash after a trick-or-treating marathon probably distracted you just enough so that your parents could force you into a thick turtleneck underneath your Halloween costume. While your position on dressing appropriately for the weather may have changed since then, you've likely retained your opinions about which Halloween candy is the best … or worst.

To find out how people’s hot takes on sweet treats differ across the nation, CandyStore.com analyzed their sales data from the last 12 years to reveal the top-selling candy brand in each state.

Unlike with gas station coffee, there aren’t any obvious regional trends when it comes to Halloween candy. Skittles, the overall bestseller, also took the top spot in an impressive seven states, which included Florida, Minnesota, Hawaii, and California. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups followed closely with five states, hopping from North Carolina to Kansas and beyond.

Some classic candy brands were conspicuous only by their scarcity—Snickers, Milky Way, Butterfinger, Kit Kat, and Hershey’s Mini Bars only won one or two states apiece, and 3 Musketeers finished with zero. Cinnamon-y Hot Tamales ran away with a gobsmacking four states (New York, Indiana, Arizona, and Virginia), while salt water taffy took three: Washington, Wyoming, and Nebraska.

CandyStore.com also compiled lists of the best and worst Halloween candies, based on 30,000 customer surveys as well as rankings from Business Insider, Bon Appétit, and more. However, it seems that some people’s opinions don’t match what they’re actually buying. Nerds, which came in at number six on the best list, didn’t make it on the map even once.

Candy corn, the sickeningly saccharine blend of sugar, honey, dextrose, and corn syrup that everybody loves to hate, was unsurprisingly rated the number one worst Halloween confectionery. But five states—Iowa, Idaho, North Dakota, New Mexico, and Nevada—purchase it more than any other candy.

Hungry for more knowledge about your fun-sized snack of choice? Find out how 25 Halloween candies got their names here.

[h/t CandyStore.com]