We asked parents across America to spill their Halloween candy secrets.
Trick-or-treating might be geared to the littlest witches and wizards, but parents can’t resist sneaking a piece (or two or three) from the Halloween candy haul, too. So what sweets do grown-ups love the most? And which ones stay at the bottom of the bag? We surveyed parents across the country, examined candy favorites state by state, and unwrapped some interesting stats behind the top treats.
Key Findings
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Nine in 10 parents go through their child’s Halloween candy before their child can eat it.
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The top reason for going through their child’s Halloween candy is to remove pieces that may have been tampered with. However, 50% of parents also admit they do it to take pieces for themselves.
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One in four parents hide their kids’ Halloween candy so they can eat it themselves.
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Three in 10 parents impose a “candy tax” in exchange for taking their kids trick-or-treating, and 40% of parents consider their children’s candy “fair game” starting on Halloween night.
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Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Snickers, and Kit Kats are parents’ favorite candies, while kids prefer Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Sour Patch Kids, and Skittles.
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Americans consume an average of 18.6 grams of sugar per serving of their favorite Halloween candies. Boomers are the generation consuming the most sugar, with an average of 21.3 grams per serving.
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Maryland consumes candy with the most sugar (average of 26.3 grams of sugar per serving), followed by Kentucky, Oregon, and Utah, all at 25 grams per serving.
Turns out, parents and kids don’t always agree on what’s worth unwrapping.
Halloween may be all about that sugar rush, but parents and kids don’t always agree on which treats are worth unwrapping. We asked parents to share their top three favorite candies and then spill the beans on their children’s most-loved picks. The result? A little trick-or-treat showdown between chocolate lovers and fruit-flavor fanatics.
Parents opt for tried-and-true classics, like Snickers and Kit Kats. Kids, meanwhile, can’t resist the rainbow, preferring Sour Patch Kids and Skittles as their go-tos.
But when it came to one candy, parents and kids were on the same page: Nothing beats the sweet-and-salty peanut butter and chocolate combo. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups claimed the top spot as the nation’s ultimate favorite.
From candy taxes to secret hiding spots, parents have their candy-stealing tricks.
Kids may do the candy collecting, but moms and dads have their own candy-stealing tricks. Our survey found that nine in 10 parents dig through their child’s candy before the kids even get a chance to eat it. Are they inspecting it for safety? Maybe—but half admit they’re not just checking, they’re swiping a few favorites for themselves.
Some take it a step further: One in four parents confess to hiding the candy so they can sneak bites later, and three in 10 enforce a so-called “candy tax” as payment for taking the kids trick-or-treating.
Of course, it’s not always a sweet jackpot. Parents agree that a real Halloween fright is reaching into the bag and finding raisins, candy corn, licorice, Circus Peanuts, and popcorn balls.
Trick-or-treat contents look different in every corner of the country.
Halloween candy may be fun-size, but America’s candy preferences are anything but one-size-fits-all.
In the Deep South, Skittles are the standout treat of choice. Virginia and Minnesota are hooked on Baby Ruth, while Wisconsin and Indiana stick to the classics with Hershey's Bars. Arkansas, Arizona, and Florida favored Almond Joy, and Sour Patch Kids rose to the top in New York, New Jersey, Colorado, and California.
Whether they’re sweet on Snickers or jolly for Jolly Ranchers, it’s clear every state has its own candy crush.
Women and Baby Boomers lead the sugar race.
Who has the biggest sweet tooth? To find out, we averaged the sugar content in the top three candies chosen by different genders and generations.
Women’s favorites skew just a bit sweeter than men’s. And the generation gap is real: Millennials were in the middle at 19 grams of sugar, Gen X likes things lighter at 15 grams, and boomers took the cake—or in this case, the candy—with an average of 21 grams.
Halloween sugar highs hit harder in some states than others.
America’s annual candy pursuit may unite us on Halloween night, but just how much sugar people consume varies widely across the country. Our study uncovered some serious sweet spots as well as less sugary locales.
Maryland ranked number one. Its sweets-loving residents consumed Halloween candy, averaging 26.3 grams of sugar per serving. Kentucky, Oregon, and Utah weren’t far behind at 25 grams each. On the other hand, Ohio consumed just 5.3 grams per serving, with Louisiana (8 grams) and West Virginia (8.3 grams) also falling within the lower end of the sugar scale.
Candy runs out, but cozy memories last.
No matter which candy reigns supreme in your house, the stash won’t last forever. But the joy of Halloween will linger long after the last piece is unwrapped. When your child’s costume comes off and their cozy Halloween pajamas come on, the night becomes about laughter, cuddles, and remembering the day’s adventures. And there’s no sweeter treat than that.
Methodology
To begin, we consulted Google Trends to determine the search volume for each candy from October 1 to 31, 2024. We then calculated the average search popularity per capita for each candy. Next, we examined each state and identified the candy with the highest above-average searches to rank it as the most popular candy.
To determine which states were consuming the most sugar, we examined nutrition labels to identify the grams of sugar per serving size. We then averaged this for the top 3 most popular candies for each state to determine which state had the biggest sweet tooth. The same was done for the candies selected by our survey respondents to determine which genders and generations were consuming the most sugar.
Finally, for all other data, we surveyed 1,050 parents nationwide. Among them, 34% were men and 64% were women. Additionally, 10% were baby boomers, 35% were Gen X, 52% were millennials, and 3% were Gen Z.
