Skittles Favored Among Californians, Nation

After mining a wealth of candy data, CandyStore.com has determined that, for a second consecutive year, the No. 1 Halloween candy of choice for Californians is,  drumroll, please — Skittles.

The fruit-flavored candy is followed in second place by M&M’s and Reese’s Cups.

Did the bulk candy company hit the bull’s-eye?

This year, the National Retail Federation is estimating that shoppers will spend $2.6 billion on Halloween candy. Same as last year.

Consumer confidence is not quite as high this year, fueled mostly by uncertainty surrounding the impact of tariffs and interest rate changes on the domestic economy. Feels like 2019 sales will be steady but not a break-out year.

Here are some quick Halloween candy fun facts that CandyStore.com discovered in the data:

• 172 million Americans celebrate Halloween
• Nearly 1/4 of all Halloween purchases are made online
• Among those who celebrate Halloween, 95% will purchase candy
• They will spend about $25 on average
• Most Halloween shopping is done the first 2 weeks of October.
• In Oregon, full-sized candy bars (or bull-sized bags of Skittles) are the norm for trick-or-treaters to receive
• Over 50% of parents stash some Halloween candy to enjoy later in the year

Turns out Skittles are a favorite Halloween candy across America, too. When it comes to Halloween candy, here’s America’s Top 10.

 

You’ve seen the best, now brace yourself for the worst.

 

According to a survey released by the National Retail Federation,, Among those celebrating, 69 percent plan to hand out candy, 49 percent plan to decorate their home or yard, 47 percent will dress in costume, 44 percent will carve a pumpkin, 32 percent will throw or attend a party, 29 percent will take their children trick-or-treating, 22 percent will visit a haunted house and 17 percent will dress their pets in costume.

You can bet that Skittles will be in many children’s trick-or-treat bags if CandyStore.com’s data holds true.

For a state-by-state look at America’s favorite candy, check out this interactive map.