What's your favorite candy? Hands down, mine is Three Musketeers (it's the nougat). I recently had major league sticker shock when I saw a Three Musketeers bar in a checkout lane and nearly fainted when I paid $2.19 for it.
True, it was bigger than the 10-cent bar I got at Brunberg's Five and Dime in downtown Mount Prospect, where I grew up in the 1960s. But more than 20 times bigger, or more flavorful? Not hardly.
Sue and I spent more than $150 on Halloween candy. Our house is famous because Sue makes up little bags with several items in them. We handed out 100 of these little bags last year, and that's not even a record.
This year, we're giving out less chocolatey candy and more M&M's peanuts, Sour Patch Kids, and Skittles. Our yard is festooned with ghosts, goblins, bats, spiderwebs, and a grave with a disembodied hand rising from the ground. That and the talking skeleton are the kids' favorites.
DoorDash released a nationwide survey of the most popular candy, state by state, and it struck me how truly wonderful and diverse the United States of America is. While some candies are enjoyed nationwide, others are regional.
"Laffy Taffy has a five-state stronghold, winning over candy lovers in North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio and Wisconsin, while Californians have a hankering for Red Vines licorice," reports The New York Post.
Down South, meanwhile, seven states love Dollar General’s Sweet Smiles, an affordable candy assortment, as their favorite Halloween treat.
Here are the 10 most popular candies in the nation.
- Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
- Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bar
- M&Ms
- Snickers
- Nerds
- Skittles
- Airheads
- Sour Patch Kids
- Kit Kat
Candy Corn? DoorDash says, "The Halloween staple may be the treat everyone loves to hate, but orders are actually up 30% year-over-year," as reported by the New York Post.
Many parents don't want their kids bouncing off the walls until midnight on Halloween, and raisins are a great snack that won't turbocharge your children. “At this point, I don’t think it’s a fluke. There’s a real shift toward parents wanting to offer something that feels like a treat without going all in on sugar, and raisins check that box," said Cristen Milliner, consumer brands expert at DoorDash.
The breakdown of favorite candy by state has some surprises. While Reese's Cups are favored by 17 states, Colorado (Haribo), North Carolina (Hershey's Bar), and Minnesota (Mike and Ike) are candy outliers.
"The old school treats still have plenty of fans, with Circus Peanuts leading the nostalgic pack, followed by Bit-O-Honey, Lemonhead and Dum Dums," reports the Post.
Recommended: Affordability? Phooey! It's Impeachment the Democrats Crave.
Pizza orders jump 20% on Halloween night.
"Halloween is one of the only nights all year when dinner takes a back seat to everything else going on, and the data backs that up, most dinner categories actually decline on Halloween night,” Milliner explained. “Pizza is the exception. It's fast, it feeds everyone, and it doesn't get in the way of trick-or-treating. When you still need to feed the family and get out the door, pizza is the one dinner that never slows anyone down."
You can find your state's favorite candy below.
Your state's Halloween candy craving https://t.co/PUOKknGMq9
— Axios (@axios) October 9, 2026
