Most Popular Valentine's Candy by State

• 16 Years Sales Data, Updated Jan 2024
• Top 3 from Each State
• Interactive Map

Feb 2, 2024 By Ben George ben@candystore.com

Valentine's Day is upon us once more, bringing with it the celebration of love in all its forms. As we prepare to shower our dearest with tokens of affection, an important question lingers: Which candy will reign supreme in the hearts of each state this year? Fear not, we have delved into the latest trends and data to bring you the definitive guide to 2024's most popular Valentine's candy across the nation.

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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

Valentines Candy Conversation Hearts Vs Boxes of ChocolatesDownload This Graphic

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. 

Valentine's Day Candy Quick Facts

47% of people said they will buy themselves a box of chocolates this year.

58 million pounds of chocolate are bought during Valentine's Day week.

The peak selling period for conversation hearts is only 6 weeks long. Wow!

It takes manufacturers 11 months to produce enough for those 6 weeks.

Vodka infused with candy remained popular with conversation hearts last year.

Children receive 39 percent of all Valentine’s Day candy and gifts.

In Japan, chocolate is given to men, not women, on Valentine’s Day.

In Wales, wooden love spoons were traditionally given as a token of love.

The first Valentine’s Day candy box was created by Richard Cadbury in the late 1800s.

The most popular Valentine’s Day color is red.

The average American spends $144.56 on Valentine’s Day candy.

Each year, an estimated 1 billion cards are exchanged on Valentine's Day.

The oldest box of Valentine's Day candy dates back to the early 1900s.

In the Middle Ages, valentines were handmade gifts like love poems or artwork.

About 36 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate are sold each year leading up to Valentine's Day.

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
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