When children think of Halloween, costumes and candy are the first things to come to mind.
Many neighbors have gone out to grocery stores to stock up on candy to hand out to trick-or-treaters for the spookiest day of the year. In fact, Halloween sees a significant increase in purchases. Instacart orders with candy last year turned out to be 100 percent higher than the yearly average on Oct. 31, the company said.
As far as Iowa is concerned, residents in the state bought candy 20.8% more often in October than the national average in 2024.
More: See trick-or-treat times in the Des Moines metro as cities say goodbye to Beggars’ Night
As children go door to door in hopes of hauling in as much candy as possible, they’re almost certain to bring in all kinds of candy. But what candy do Iowans prefer?
What is Iowa’s favorite Halloween candy?
While there were no official caucuses in Iowa to determine what candy was the favorite in Iowa, Instacart said peanut M&M’s are the top choice across the state. Iowa is joined by Oregon, Idaho, Utah and Vermont with that pick.
However, a study done last year showed that Iowans had a sweet tooth for Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.
The most popular candies in each state, according to Instacart order
Nationally, Instacart says Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups were named the top trick-or-treat candy.
Peanut M&M’s, traditional M&M’s Kit Kat and Snickers round out the top five.
More: Can sex offenders hand out candy for Halloween in Iowa? What the state law says
Do Iowans like candy corn?
Despite some of the criticism some have about this polarizing sweet, Iowa loves its candy corn.
A look at each state’s candy corn order percentage compared to the national average
The Hawkeye State ordered candy corn nearly 73% more than the national average in October 2024, ranking fourth behind Mississippi, Nebraska and Kentucky.
Iowa was one of seven Midwest states to order candy corn at least 20% more than the national average in 2024.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: What is the most popular Halloween candy in Iowa?
