Top Valentine's Day Candy by State
We combined bulk candy sales data and holiday fun to create an interactive map of the most popular Valentines Day candy. There were plenty of interesting findings, along with lots of conversation hearts and chocolate to explore.
First, a look at some overall holiday sales data.
Valentines Spending
People are going to be shelling out big bucks this Valentine's Day - the National Retail Federation's survey says we'll be spending a whopping $25.8 billion, slightly down from last year's $25.9B. But we'll be spending more on significant others than ever, a record $14.2B.
The number of people buying candy for Valentine's Day is expected to be at a new record high with 57% of consumers.
Valentines Candy by State
Now the scoop on which sweet treats are the most popular this Valentine's Day in each state and some key takeaways.
CandyStore.com crunched the numbers from 16 years of our online bulk candy store and industry partners - seen in the interactive map above - to learn which candy each state loves. And don't worry if you're on mobile - you can still see the results in the chart down below.
Here are some of the key takeaways from our data.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
Conversation Hearts Lose Ground to Heart-Shaped Boxes
The saga of Sweethearts conversation hearts candy has been marked by upheaval since 2019, after Necco's dissolution led to its brands being scattered among various acquirers. The transition to new ownership for Sweethearts resulted in a temporary market exit in 2019, causing a significant dip in conversation hearts' sales by over 24%.
2020 saw the return of Sweethearts, though in limited availability. Challenges persisted under the new stewardship of Spangler, with printing issues leading to many candies featuring smeared or entirely absent messages, resulting in a considerable batch of blank candies.
In the face of these challenges, Sweethearts and conversation hearts overall staged a comeback, particularly shining in 2022 with Spangler's fresh sayings. Nevertheless, this year has seen a shift in consumer preferences, with conversation hearts losing ground to heart-shaped boxes of chocolates. They now hover closely at 10.2% and 10.1% of total candy spending, respectively.
This evolving trend underscores a dynamic candy market, where traditional favorites like conversation hearts must continuously innovate to captivate the hearts and tastes of consumers.
Rivarly Building Between Hershey Kisses and M&M's?
Hershey's Kisses have been making their way up the list of the most popular Valentine's Day candy. Hershey's Kisses picked up one more #1 spot this year and several runners up and third place finishes as well, gaining ground on M&M's.
M&M's, which had been making steady progress up the chart for the last few years, got knocked off the top spot in two states last year, Oregon and Pennsylvania. By whom? None other than Hershey Kisses.
This year, Heart-shaped boxes of chocolates knocked off M&M's in both Kansas and New Jersey, allowing Hersheys Kisses to take a lead over M&M's for the first time.
Cupid Corn Still #1 in Michigan
Just when we thought they were fading away, cupid corn made a comeback last year. After claiming a new #1 state in Nebraska, candy corn also regained the #1 spot in Michigan, where it had fallen as far as the number 3 spot in recent years after a long time top V-day candy for the state.
This year it fell off the #1 spot in Nebraska, but it's hanging tough in Michigan.
So, which Valentine’s Day candy does your state love the most? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
Here is a table with each state's winners:
| State Name | 1st Place 2024 | 2nd Place 2024 | 3rd Place 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Candy Necklaces | Conversation Hearts | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates |
| Maine | Chocolate Hearts | Ghirardelli Gift Box | Conversation Hearts |
| Montana | Chocolate Hearts | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | Hershey Kisses |
| Rhode Island | Chocolate Hearts | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | Conversation Hearts |
| Kentucky | Chocolate Roses | M&M's | Conversation Hearts |
| New Mexico | Chocolate Roses | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | Candy Necklaces |
| Wyoming | Chocolate Roses | Conversation Hearts | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates |
| Illinois | Chocolate Hearts | Conversation Hearts | M&M's |
| Alaska | Conversation Hearts | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | Cinnamon Bears |
| California | Conversation Hearts | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | M&M's |
| Hawaii | Conversation Hearts | M&M's | Candy Necklaces |
| Louisiana | Conversation Hearts | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | M&M's |
| Massachusetts | Conversation Hearts | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | Chocolate Hearts |
| New York | Conversation Hearts | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | Cinnamon Bears |
| North Carolina | Conversation Hearts | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | Cupid Corn |
| South Carolina | Conversation Hearts | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | Ghirardelli Gift Box |
| Tennessee | Conversation Hearts | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | Wild Berry Skittles |
| Virginia | Conversation Hearts | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | Hershey Kisses |
| Washington | Conversation Hearts | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | Chocolate Roses |
| West Virginia | Conversation Hearts | Cupid Corn | Candy Necklaces |
| Florida | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | Conversation Hearts | Chocolate Roses |
| Missouri | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | Conversation Hearts | Hershey Kisses |
| Idaho | Hershey Kisses | Conversation Hearts | M&M's |
| Wisconsin | Hershey Kisses | Conversation Hearts | Ghirardelli Gift Box |
| Michigan | Cupid Corn | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | Conversation Hearts |
| Nebraska | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | Cupid Corn | Chocolate Hearts |
| Colorado | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | Conversation Hearts | Hershey Kisses |
| Connecticut | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | M&M's | Conversation Hearts |
| Georgia | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | Chocolate Roses | Conversation Hearts |
| Indiana | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | Conversation Hearts | Chocolate Roses |
| Mississippi | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | Conversation Hearts | Chocolate Roses |
| Nevada | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | Conversation Hearts | Chocolate Roses |
| New Hampshire | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | Conversation Hearts | Chocolate Hearts |
| Ohio | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | Cupid Corn | Conversation Hearts |
| Oklahoma | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | Conversation Hearts | Chocolate Roses |
| Washington, D.C. | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | Conversation Hearts | Cinnamon Bears |
| Minnesota | M&M's | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | Conversation Hearts |
| South Dakota | Conversation Hearts | Hershey Kisses | Chocolate Hearts |
| Arkansas | Hershey Kisses | Conversation Hearts | Ghirardelli Gift Box |
| Delaware | Hershey Kisses | Conversation Hearts | Chocolate Hearts |
| Oregon | Hershey Kisses | M&M's | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates |
| Pennsylvania | Hershey Kisses | M&M's | Conversation Hearts |
| Texas | Hershey Kisses | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | Conversation Hearts |
| Utah | Hershey Kisses | M&M's | Conversation Hearts |
| Kansas | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | M&M's | Ghirardelli Gift Box |
| New Jersey | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | M&M's | Conversation Hearts |
| Arizona | M&M's | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | Conversation Hearts |
| Iowa | M&M's | Conversation Hearts | Ghirardelli Gift Box |
| Maryland | M&M's | Conversation Hearts | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates |
| North Dakota | M&M's | Conversation Hearts | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates |
| Vermont | M&M's | Conversation Hearts | Candy Necklaces |