‘Tis the season for sweets, and each American state seemingly has its own candy cravings when the holiday season arrives.
CandyStore.com, a wholesale bulk candy website based in Los Angeles, believes it has narrowed down America’s top “Christmas candies” after consulting its customer base, candy manufacturers and distributors about seasonal orders and preferences.
The online candy store says it received more than 16,000 responses this year for its “Most Popular Christmas Candy By State” survey.
Twelve candies came out on top in the 50 states and Washington, D.C.
While peppermint bark is a top choice in eight states, CandyStore.com identified some surprising fruit-flavored top picks, such as Skittles and Starburst.
Candy canes are a top pick in two states, while dozens of other states side with chocolate-based candies, including chocolate Santas, Hershey’s Kisses, Kit Kat, M&M’s, Reese’s Cups and Reese’s Pieces.
The only vanilla-flavored candy to make CandyStore.com’s “most popular” list is Reindeer Corn, which is a festive three-toned candy corn treat that’s made by various candy manufacturers.
Here’s a breakdown of CandyStore.com’s Christmas candy map state-by-state.
Candy canes
States that favor candy canes:
–Louisiana
-Oregon
Chocolate Santas
States that favor chocolate Santas:
–Alaska
-Mississippi
-New Mexico
-North Dakota
-Ohio
Hershey Kisses
States that favor Hershey’s Kisses:
–Arizona
-Maine
-Missouri
-South Dakota
-Utah
Kit Kat
States that favor the Kit Kat:
–Massachusetts
-Oklahoma
M&M’s
States that favor M&M’s:
–Iowa
-Idaho
-Kentucky
-New Hampshire
-South Carolina
-Virginia
-Wyoming
Peppermint bark
States that favor Peppermint bark:
–Illinois
-Kansas
-Michigan
-Minnesota
-Nebraska
-Rhode Island
-Tennessee
-West Virginia
Reindeer Corn
States that favor Reindeer Corn:
–Alabama
Reese’s Cup Minis
States that favor Reese’s Cup Minis:
–California
-Colorado
-Indiana
-Maryland
-Pennsylvania
-Texas
-Washington
Reese’s Pieces
States that favor Reese’s Pieces:
–Montana
Skittles
States that favor Skittles:
–New Jersey
Snickers
States that favor Snickers:
–District of Columbia
-Florida
-Georgia
-New York
-Vermont
Starburst
States that favor Starburst:
–Arkansas
-Connecticut
-Delaware
-Hawaii
-North Carolina
-Nevada
-Wisconsin
CandyStore.com reports that peppermint bark is experiencing a “cooldown” and that candy canes are experiencing a “decline.”
Peppermint bark reportedly fell six spots, compared to last year, while candy canes fell four spots.
“Candy canes are not the universally loved Christmas candy you might think,” CandyStore.com wrote in its report. “They are often found on the WORST Christmas candy list, in fact.”
“People who don’t like them cite reasons like they can be messy to eat, hard to unwrap in one whole piece and, once sucked on for a while, become sharp and dangerous,” the report continued.
CandyStore.com reports that approximately 150 million chocolate Santas are produced each year for Christmas.
