Reese’s Is the DMV’s Top Halloween Treat
Halloween is just around the corner. As the spooky season rolls in, so does the demand for sugary treats.
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are the top Halloween treat in the DMV. (Photo; Steve/Flickr)
According to a survey by Instacart, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are the most popular Halloween Candy in the DMV. In fact, Reese’s dominated the map, claiming the top spot in 40 states.
To understand the sweet confections people are enjoying and how they are enjoying them, Instacart calculated the share of grocery orders containing candy in October 2023 and commissioned an online survey by The Harris Poll of more than 2,000 Americans.
Let’s unwrap the treats and trends that make Halloween a candy lover’s favorite holiday.
Top candies trick-or-treaters crave
Most popular Halloween candies in the U.S. based on the number of ounces sold. (Map: Instacart)
There is no doubt that classic candies reign supreme during Halloween. The top 10 treats according to the survey are:
- Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
- M&M’s
- Snickers
- Peanut M&M’s
- Twix
- Kit Kat
- Hershey’s Milk Chocolate
- Milky Way
- Sour Patch Kids
- Skittles
The survey found that among those who plan to pass out candy, 83 percent plan to purchase fun-size candies in a variety pack, 36 percent will purchase full-size candies and 22 percent will splurge for king-size candies.
Each state has its unique quirks. The survey found D.C. residents purchased more Nestle Crunch bars than the national average, while Marylanders purchased more Sour Patch Kids and Virginians bought more Hershey’s Chocolate Bars.
Most uniquely popular candies by state from analyzing the difference in candy sales by weight in October 2023. (Map: Instacart)
Sweet toothed states: The highs and lows
The top five states that bought the most Halloween candy, based on the share of orders that contained candy, were Utah followed by Oregon, Nebraska, Montana and Idaho. The bottom five states that bought the least Halloween candy were Hawaii followed by Florida, D.C., California and Georgia.
Among those who plan to pass out candy to trick-or-treaters, 61 percent expect 25 or more trick-or-treaters, 29 percent expect 50 or more and 13 percent expect 100 or more.
Most of them plan to be plenty prepared with their candy stock, as 89 percent expect to have leftover candy at the end of the night and 16 percent expect to have a lot of candy leftover. That is probably why 50 percent of respondents plan to eat Halloween candy this year.
Trick-or-treat
Of those surveyed, 31 percent plan to dress up in a costume, while 23 percent will go trick-or-treating.
According to the survey, 74 percent of respondents who plan to go trick-or-treating this Halloween will do so in their own neighborhood, while 55 percent say they will venture to other neighborhoods – either within their city/town (44 percent) or outside of their city/town (22 percent).
With costume purchases spiking in 2023, Instacart wanted to know how many are planning to dress up this year and which costumes will be the most popular. The survey found that 31 percent plan to dress up for Halloween, and among those who do, horror-themed (32 percent), spooky (31 percent), unique (30 percent) and funny (30 percent) top the list for costume descriptions.
