Candy: 6 Facts

1. Billions of dollars are spent on candy each year in the U.S.

I couldn't find an amount that was consistent across multiple sources, but over $30 billion annual candy sales seems to be the most common range.

2. The average person in the U.S. eats 8 pounds of candy in a year.

Now, we don’t know what, exactly, “average” means in this case or how the pounds per person was calculated, but 8 pounds of candy in a year doesn’t seem like that much when I consider the weight of a chocolate bar.

3. M&Ms are one of the most popular candies in the U.S.

Again, I couldn’t find consensus across sites as to the most popular candy, but M&Ms and Snickers consistently made the top 10.

4. Jolly Ranchers are one of the top-selling hard candies.

It was hard to find a list of most popular hard candies, but Statista claims that Jolly Ranchers were the most sold hard candy in 2022. 

On the other hand, more than one site claims that Werther’s Hard Caramels are the best-tasting hard candy.

5. Red is the most popular “flavor” of candy that isn’t chocolate.

I couldn’t actually find multiple sites that consistently told the most popular flavor of hard candy, but red kept showing up as the most popular color. 

I did find sites that suggested mixed flavor packs, like Skittles or Haribo Berries are the most popular. 

6. Some think Circus Peanuts are the worst candy you can buy.

In fact, they are so unpopular, they don’t even make it onto many “worst candy” lists.

I’m a little surprised by this because they are basically stale, colored marshmallows. I haven’t eaten a Circus Peanut in decades, but I have eaten stale, colored marshmallows that continue to be sold, but under the term “marshmallow.” I wonder if the lack of popularity for Circus Peanuts has to do with a loss of the nostalgia that goes with them combined with the color and texture? Kids eat plenty of gross things. I don’t know why this one fell out of favor.

Bonus: Gummies and anything else that isn’t chocolate gets classified as “hard candy.”

At least, in general usage on the websites I found. I don’t know about officially in the candy-making industry or casually among average people.

Selected Sources

“Consumers Spent a Record $36.9B on Candy in 2021” by Megan Poinski on Food Dive; Accessed 2023, September 29.

“A Definitive Ranking of the Best (and Worst) Halloween Candy of All Time” by Felicia Lalomia on Delish; Accessed 2023, September 29.

“Discover the Most Popular Candy Colors in American Culture” by Robert Beadle on Candy Retailer; Accessed 2023, September 29.

“How Much Candy Do Americans Eat in a Whole Year?” by Rahel Mathews on The Conversation; Accessed 2023, September 29.

“A Marketer Explains Why Red and Pink Candies Are the Most Popular” by Julie R. Thomson on HuffPost; Accessed 2023, September 29.

“The Most Popular Hard Candy Flavors of All Time” by K C on One on One Flavors Flavor Superstore; Accessed 2023, September 29.

“Top 12 American Candy Brands” by Doug Carlin on USA by #umbers; Accessed on 2023, September 29.

“The Top 27 Best-Selling Candy Products of the Year” by Robert Beadle on Candy Retailer; Accessed 2023, September 29.

“Top Ten Worst Candies - Ranked” by Marisa Blankenship on Spoon University; Accessed 2023, September 29. 

“The Worst Halloween Candy, and the Best Too” by Ben George on Candystore.com; Accessed 2023, September 29.