Instacart's Halloween report: Reese's is No.1, regional candy quirks and the iconic banana costume
Halloween means candy and costumes and Instacart’s latest data shows what millions of Americans put in their carts throughout October.
Key Takeaways
- Reese's runs the country. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are the No. 1 candy by ounces sold, and the top seller in 40 of 51 states and Washington, D.C.
- HI-CHEW stands out in Montana. The state buys HI-CHEW at +616% above the national share, the largest candy over-index anywhere in the country.
- Western states buy the most candy. Utah (+67%), Idaho (+50%), and Alaska (+47%) buy the most candy relative to the rest of the country. The Northeast buys the least. No judgment, but also…noted.
- The Pacific Northwest leads among cities. Anchorage, AK (+56%), Eugene, OR (+53%), Tacoma, WA (+51%), Vancouver, WA (+48%), and Spokane, WA (+47%) lead all cities in the country.
- Sour Patch Kids leads in Rhode Island. It's the only state where Sour Patch Kids beat both Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and Peanut M&M's for the top spot.
- Banana is the top food-related costume. Among adults shopping for food-related costumes, “Banana” was the most popular choice. Bananas were also the No.1 selling item on Instacart.
America's Candy Leaderboard: Reese's Takes the Top Spot
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups took the No. 1 spot by ounces of candy sold. The top five were all chocolate: Peanut M&M's came in second, Hershey's Milk Chocolate third, M&M's fourth, and Snickers fifth. Sour Patch Kids was the first non-chocolate candy on the list, coming in at No. 7.
One Map, One Winner (Almost)
State by state, the pattern holds. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are the top seller in 40 of them. Peanut M&M's lead across much of the Plains and Mountain West and in Hawai‘i. Then there's Rhode Island, the lone sour candy holdout in a sea of chocolate, where Sour Patch Kids took the top spot. Rhode Island is the only state where Sour Patch Kids ranked ahead of both Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and Peanut M&M’s.
Now Here's Where It Gets Interesting
The most popular candy in each state tells one story. The candy each state buys at a much higher rate than the rest of the country reveals another.
Montana is buying HI-CHEW at +616% above the national average, the largest over-index among candies in the country. Louisiana buys Tootsie Pops at +141% above the national share. Rhode Island also stands out for Sour Patch Kids, buying them +109% above the national share. Colorado and Wyoming show a strong preference for candy corn, with the candy ranking among their most over-indexed purchases.
Who Goes All In?
Set aside any single candy and look at the full candy aisle: Which states devote the biggest slice of their overall cart to candy in October? The answer runs west, decisively.
Utah (+67% above the national average), Idaho (+50%), Alaska (+47%), Washington (+43%) and Montana (+40%) buy candy the most often in the country. The Northeast leads in the other direction: Delaware (-18%), Pennsylvania (-16%) and New York (-15%) are the most restrained. Nobody has a sweet tooth quite like the Mountain West and Pacific Northwest. They lead the country in candy purchases during October.
The Candy Capitals
Zoom to the city level and the Pacific Northwest and Alaska show up once again. Anchorage, AK (+56% above the national average), Eugene, OR (+53%), Tacoma, WA (+51%), Vancouver, WA (+48%), and Spokane, WA (+47%) top the list. The bottom of the rankings is equally clustered: Newark, New York City, and a string of NY, NJ and PA cities all buying candy well below the national rate.
What's fascinating is how clean the split is. The top cities are almost all in the Pacific Northwest, while the bottom cities are almost all in the Northeast. Both regions are up north, both get a proper chill in October, and both have plenty of family-friendly neighborhoods. Bottom line: Depending on where you live, Halloween traditions might just look a little different.
Now, About Those Costumes
When it comes to costumes, adults and kids tend to shop for classic and spooky options: Skeleton and Witch costumes lead the way for adults, while kids go for Ghostface masks from “Scream,” with Witch and Skeleton close behind. The accessories aisle runs on hats, jewelry and gloves, because the right hat can make the full costume.
And then there are the food costumes.
Since Instacart is a grocery technology company, it was worth taking a look. Among adult food costumes, Banana took the top spot. Fitting, since bananas happen to be the No.1 selling item on Instacart.
The Bowl Is Full
So whether you're filling the candy bowl with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, dressing up to go trick-or-treating, or trying to make it through October without eating all the candy before Halloween, it turns out that where you live can say a lot about how you celebrate Halloween.
This story was produced by Instacart and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
