Take a moment to imagine your favorite Halloween candy—the one you ate out of a bag or bowl before you go for something else. (Or maybe you’re one of those disciplined people who will slowly, bit by bit, pack out your favorite thing or save it for last?) Lock in that candy image middle? OK OK So your favorite Halloween candy is…
If you just say “Snickers,” then you’ve got a lot of company. Snickers is the favorite Halloween candy for residents in 23 of the 50 states, making it the candy of choice in nearly half of the country, according to new research using search data released by market intelligence and search firm My Telescope.
If KitKats, Tootsie Rolls or Hershey bars are your favorites, you’re not alone. The three candies are vying for second place, with KitKat and Tootsie Rolls winning hearts in six states each and Hershey winning five. (Sorry, Butterfinger fans; you’ve left your allegiance behind the most searched-for candy in only one state: Indiana.)
Meanwhile, Baby Ruth is the least searched chocolate in the states, according to My Telescope.
Twix outperformed Galaxy Bar in head-to-head competition for most searches by state. (Guess people prefer cookies to nougat with chocolate and caramel.)
The research data is based on a state-by-state breakdown of the top Halloween candies, then ranked by search share, based on Google search volume. (Search share measures “the relative interest of a search term relative to a defined set of search terms,” and is used by marketers to gain insight into the brands people like and will buy from, My Telescope says.)
So which states search for Snickers the most? That would be (deep breath) Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire , New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
Meanwhile, Illinois, Massachusetts, Montana, New Mexico, Ohio and West Virginia are all eyeing KitKat. Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Maine, North Carolina and South Carolina all love Tootsie Rolls. Citizens in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and South Dakota have been looking for Hershey bars in droves.
The Milky Way reigns supreme in Colorado, Connecticut and Idaho. Twix is the top choice in Michigan, Nevada, Virginia and Washington. Kentucky and Louisiana hold strong for the 3 Musketeers. Oh yes, then Indiana, standing tall and lonely for Butterfingers.
Interestingly, Baby Ruth, Reese’s Cups, 100 Grand, Butterfinger, Crunch Bars, and Almond Joy are all candies that recur (in various states) on the least searched list. Hershey’s bar, Milky Way and Butterfinger were also listed as the least searched bars in several states.
What one person likes the most is what the other person dislikes least – that’s what trick-or-treating is all about.