M&M’s and Sour Patch Kids are the most popular Halloween candy in 10 states each on CandyStore.com’s 2026 map, which ranks candy by projected pounds sold, and NERDS Gummy Clusters wins Indiana in its first year on it. On DoorDash’s map of October orders, Reese’s leads 17 states.
Note: I may earn a commission if you buy through some links in this article.
Every State’s Most Popular Halloween Candy on Both Maps
CandyStore.com ranks the top three Halloween candies in each state by projected pounds sold, and DoorDash picks the one candy each state ordered at a higher rate than the rest of the country in October 2025. The two maps pick the same No. 1 in three states: Sour Patch Kids in Illinois, and Reese’s in Kentucky and New Hampshire.
| State | CandyStore No. 1 | CandyStore No. 2 and 3 | DoorDash pick |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Skittles | Hershey’s Mini Bars, Starburst | Sweet Smiles |
| Alaska | Sour Patch Kids | Twix, Milky Way | Lindt |
| Arizona | Sour Patch Kids | NERDS Gummy Clusters, M&M’s | Red Vines |
| Arkansas | Butterfinger | Jolly Ranchers, M&M’s | Sweet Smiles |
| California | M&M’s | Reese’s Cups, Skittles | Red Vines |
| Colorado | Hershey Kisses | Milky Way, Twix | Haribo |
| Connecticut | Almond Joy | Milky Way, M&M’s | Sour Patch Kids |
| Delaware | Sour Patch Kids | Skittles, Life Savers | Reese’s |
| Florida | Skittles | Reese’s Cups, Hot Tamales | Airheads |
| Georgia | Jolly Ranchers | NERDS Gummy Clusters, Swedish Fish | Sweet Smiles |
| Hawaii | Butterfinger | Hershey’s Mini Bars, Skittles | Lindt |
| Idaho | Snickers | Starburst, Candy Corn | SweeTarts |
| Illinois | Sour Patch Kids | Kit Kat, Starburst | Sour Patch Kids |
| Indiana | NERDS Gummy Clusters | Hot Tamales, Starburst | Reese’s |
| Iowa | M&M’s | Reese’s Cups, Hershey’s Mini Bars | Laffy Taffy |
| Kansas | M&M’s | Sour Patch Kids, Reese’s Cups | SweeTarts |
| Kentucky | Reese’s Cups | Hot Tamales, BUBS | Reese’s |
| Louisiana | Lemonheads | Salt Water Taffy, Reese’s Cups | Sweet Smiles |
| Maine | Sour Patch Kids | Candy Corn, Life Savers | Reese’s |
| Maryland | Candy Corn | Hershey’s Mini Bars, Hershey Kisses | Snickers |
| Massachusetts | Sour Patch Kids | Butterfinger, Dubble Bubble Gum | Reese’s |
| Michigan | Starburst | Candy Corn, Butterfinger | Reese’s |
| Minnesota | Hot Tamales | Tootsie Pops, Skittles | Mike and Ike |
| Mississippi | 3 Musketeers | Snickers, Butterfinger | Sweet Smiles |
| Missouri | Almond Joy | Hot Tamales, Milky Way | Twizzlers |
| Montana | M&M’s | Twix, Dubble Bubble Gum | Reese’s |
| Nebraska | Sour Patch Kids | Salt Water Taffy, Twix | Laffy Taffy |
| Nevada | Hot Tamales | Hershey’s Mini Bars, Candy Corn | Snickers |
| New Hampshire | Reese’s Cups | M&M’s, Almond Joy | Reese’s |
| New Jersey | Tootsie Pops | Skittles, M&M’s | Reese’s |
| New Mexico | Hot Tamales | Candy Corn, Hershey’s Mini Bars | SweeTarts |
| New York | Sour Patch Kids | Hot Tamales, BUBS | Kinder Bueno |
| North Carolina | M&M’s | NERDS Gummy Clusters, Hershey’s Mini Bars | Hershey’s Bar |
| North Dakota | Candy Corn | Hot Tamales, Jolly Ranchers | Laffy Taffy |
| Ohio | Blow Pops | M&M’s, Starburst | Reese’s |
| Oklahoma | Butterfinger | Dubble Bubble Gum, Skittles | SweeTarts |
| Oregon | M&M’s | Reese’s Cups, NERDS Gummy Clusters | Reese’s |
| Pennsylvania | M&M’s | Hershey’s Mini Bars, Skittles | Reese’s |
| Rhode Island | Hershey’s Mini Bars | M&M’s, Dubble Bubble Gum | Kinder Bueno |
| South Carolina | Sour Patch Kids | Butterfinger, Skittles | Sweet Smiles |
| South Dakota | Jolly Ranchers | Starburst, Candy Corn | Laffy Taffy |
| Tennessee | Snickers | Tootsie Pops, Skittles | Sweet Smiles |
| Texas | Sour Patch Kids | Starburst, NERDS Gummy Clusters | Airheads |
| Utah | Candy Corn | Tootsie Pops, M&M’s | Reese’s |
| Vermont | M&M’s | Skittles, Milky Way | Reese’s |
| Virginia | M&M’s | Butterfinger, Hot Tamales | Reese’s |
| Washington | M&M’s | NERDS Gummy Clusters, Salt Water Taffy | Reese’s |
| West Virginia | Hershey’s Mini Bars | Blow Pops, Almond Joy | Reese’s |
| Wisconsin | Hot Tamales | Butterfinger, Starburst | Laffy Taffy |
| Wyoming | Salt Water Taffy | Reese’s Cups, Dubble Bubble Gum | Twizzlers |
CandyStore’s Top 10 Halloween Candies for 2026
CandyStore’s national ranking adds up each candy’s projected pounds in every state where it finished in the top three:
- M&M’s (No. 1 in 2024 too)
- Sour Patch Kids (up from No. 3)
- Skittles (up from No. 4)
- Reese’s Cups (down from No. 2)
- NERDS Gummy Clusters (new)
- Hot Tamales (same as 2024)
- Starburst (down from No. 5)
- Candy Corn (down from No. 7)
- Hershey’s Mini Bars (same as 2024)
- Butterfinger (same as 2024)
Hershey Kisses fell out of the top 10, from No. 8 to No. 18. The top three are on Amazon in fun-size packs: an M&M’s Fun Size bag on Amazon, Sour Patch Kids 140 snack packs on Amazon, and a Skittles Fun Size 4-pound box on Amazon.
The 12 States With a New Favorite Since 2024
Twelve states have a different No. 1 than in CandyStore’s last ranking, in 2024:
| State | 2024 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona | Hershey Kisses | Sour Patch Kids |
| Florida | Reese’s Cups | Skittles |
| Hawaii | Hershey’s Mini Bars | Butterfinger |
| Indiana | Starburst | NERDS Gummy Clusters |
| Massachusetts | Butterfinger | Sour Patch Kids |
| Montana | Twix | M&M’s |
| Nevada | Hershey’s Mini Bars | Hot Tamales |
| North Dakota | Hot Tamales | Candy Corn |
| South Carolina | Butterfinger | Sour Patch Kids |
| Virginia | Butterfinger | M&M’s |
| Wisconsin | Butterfinger | Hot Tamales |
| Wyoming | Reese’s Cups | Salt Water Taffy |
Seven of the 12 traded a chocolate favorite for a non-chocolate one, and no state went the other way, according to CandyStore. Sour Patch Kids picked up three of them, Arizona, Massachusetts, and South Carolina, which brought it level with M&M’s at 10 states. M&M’s and Sour Patch Kids are the only two candies that win a state in all four regions of the country.
NERDS Gummy Clusters, Reese’s, and Candy Corn on CandyStore’s Map
NERDS Gummy Clusters had never placed in a state on CandyStore’s map before this year. It finishes first in Indiana, second in Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina, and Washington, and third in Oregon and Texas, and it is No. 5 nationally, the only newcomer in the top 10.
Reese’s Cups fell from No. 2 to No. 4 nationally and lost Florida and Wyoming, so they win only Kentucky and New Hampshire. On DoorDash’s map they lead 17 states, and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are DoorDash’s No. 1 Halloween candy for the third year in a row.
Candy corn is No. 8 nationally and wins three states outright, Maryland, North Dakota, and Utah, with North Dakota new this year. Butterfinger lost four states and picked up Hawaii, and Salt Water Taffy won Wyoming.
How the Two Maps Are Built
CandyStore.com’s map ranks candy by weight sold. It is built from Halloween-season sales in every state from 2008 through 2025, from CandyStore’s bulk orders and sales data shared by candy manufacturers and distributors, with no surveys or search data. The 2026 map is a projection from that history, weighted toward recent seasons, and CandyStore says it is not a count of 2026 sales. The table above comes from the table view of CandyStore’s interactive map.
DoorDash’s map uses its U.S. orders from October 1 to 31, 2025. The label on DoorDash’s map reads “Most-ordered Halloween candy by state,” but a state’s pick is the candy it orders at a higher rate than the rest of the country, not its top seller by volume. DoorDash’s national top 10 is ranked by order volume, and DoorDash published the report on September 10, 2026. DoorDash’s report names some states in its text and the rest only on the map, so I built its column from the map and checked it against every count in the report.
CandyStore.com’s interactive map is on its Most Popular Halloween Candy by State page.
DoorDash’s State Count: Reese’s 17, Sweet Smiles 7, Laffy Taffy 5
- Reese’s, 17 states: Delaware, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia
- Sweet Smiles, seven states: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Tennessee
- Laffy Taffy, five states: Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin
- SweeTarts, four states: Idaho, Kansas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma
- Two states each: Airheads (Florida and Texas), Red Vines (Arizona and California), Twizzlers (Missouri and Wyoming), Kinder Bueno (New York and Rhode Island), Lindt (Alaska and Hawaii), Snickers (Maryland and Nevada), and Sour Patch Kids (Connecticut and Illinois)
- One state each: Haribo (Colorado), Hershey’s Bar (North Carolina), and Mike and Ike (Minnesota)
That’s 14 different candies across the 50 states on DoorDash’s map. M&M’s, No. 3 on DoorDash’s national list, doesn’t lead a single state there, and neither do Nerds, Skittles, or Kit Kat from DoorDash’s top 10.
What Is Sweet Smiles Candy?
Sweet Smiles is a candy line Dollar General sells under its DG Brands label. Most bags on Dollar General’s site are $1, including gummi worms, fruit slices, spice drops, jelly beans, and cinnamon discs, and the Halloween Gummi Fangs and Gummi Eyeballs are $2 a bag. DoorDash calls Sweet Smiles “the affordable candy assortment with a little bit of everything.”
Dollar General delivers through DoorDash from more than 18,000 stores. The Sweet Smiles lineup also has a $1 bag of Circus Peanuts, which had the biggest jump of the old-school candies in DoorDash’s report, up 350%.
America’s Top 10 Halloween Candies on DoorDash
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are DoorDash’s No. 1 Halloween candy for the third year in a row, followed by Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bars and M&M’s. The full top 10:
- Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
- Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar
- M&M’s
- Snickers
- Nerds
- Skittles
- Airheads
- Sour Patch Kids
- Haribo
- Kit Kat
Reese’s also named 150 streets as the best in America for trick-or-treating this year, at least two in every state.
Chocolate holds four of the top five spots. Airheads climbed from 10th place last year to seventh, and Haribo made the top 10 for the first time, knocking out Twix, whose Hallowmas campaign is back this year with a $20,000 contest. DoorDash says Haribo has also passed Nerds in total orders in the three months before the report. Hershey’s new Halloween candy for 2026 is in my Hershey’s Halloween candy guide.
Circus Peanuts and Raisins Are Up
Old-school candy came back for the second year in a row on DoorDash. Circus Peanuts orders were up 350%, Lemonhead 200%, Bit-O-Honey 180%, and Dum-Dums 100%. Candy corn orders were up 30% year over year, and raisins were up 60%.
“Raisins have been the most maligned Halloween treat for decades, the one everyone claims to hate, and yet they keep climbing every year without fail,” said Cristen Milliner, DoorDash’s consumer trends expert. “At this point, I don’t think it’s a fluke. There’s a real shift toward parents wanting to offer something that still feels like a treat without going all in on sugar, and raisins check that box.”
King-Size Candy and Takis
Full-size and king-size candy’s share of DoorDash’s Halloween orders grew from over 15% to 20%. On the salty side, Takis replaced pretzels and Goldfish as the top non-candy Halloween snack.
When Halloween Orders Peak
On Halloween, DoorDash sees a morning rush from 7 to 10 a.m. that nearly doubles a normal Friday, and orders peak at 6 p.m. Pizza orders were up 20% that night, while most dinner categories declined.
Costume orders ran later still: over 60% of costume items were ordered in the last seven days before Halloween, over 40% in the last three days, and over 10% arrived on Halloween.
Related Coverage
- Halloween Candy 2026: Every New Treat, From Oreo Ghosts to a Kit Kat Witch
- Hershey’s 2026 Halloween Candy: What’s New, From a Kit Kat Witch to Reese’s Sweet & Salty
- Halloween Spending Heads to $13.5 Billion, and the People in Costumes Start First
- Halloween Trends 2026: What a New Survey Says About How We Search, Shop, and Spend
Top photo: Petey21 / Wikimedia Commons (CC0). Maps and charts: CandyStore.com and DoorDash.
