Ben George from candystore.com has an interesting candy chart of the most popular Valentine’s candy by each state in 2023.
Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone! With the holiday of love just around the corner, it’s time to start thinking about what candy we’ll be giving to our loved ones. But what type of candy will each state be consuming this year? We’ve done the research, and we’ve got the answer. You won’t want to miss this; here are the most popular Valentine’s candies by each state in 2023.
| State | TOP VALENTINES 2023 | 2ND PLACE 2023 | 3RD PLACE 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Candy Necklaces | Conversation Hearts | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates |
| Alaska | Conversation Hearts | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | Cinnamon Bears |
| Arizona | M&M’s | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | Conversation Hearts |
| Arkansas | Hershey Kisses | Conversation Hearts | Ghirardelli Gift Box |
| California | Conversation Hearts | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | M&M’s |
| Colorado | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | Conversation Hearts | Hershey Kisses |
| Connecticut | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | M&M’s | Conversation Hearts |
| Delaware | Hershey Kisses | Conversation Hearts | Chocolate Hearts |
| Florida | Conversation Hearts | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | Chocolate Roses |
| Georgia | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | Chocolate Roses | Conversation Hearts |
| Hawaii | Conversation Hearts | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | Candy Necklaces |
| Idaho | Conversation Hearts | Hershey Kisses | M&M’s |
| Illinois | Conversation Hearts | Chocolate Roses | M&M’s |
| Indiana | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | Conversation Hearts | Chocolate Roses |
| Iowa | M&M’s | Conversation Hearts | Ghirardelli Gift Box |
| Kansas | M&M’s | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | Ghirardelli Gift Box |
| Kentucky | Chocolate Roses | Conversation Hearts | M&M’s |
| Louisiana | Conversation Hearts | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | M&M’s |
| Maine | Chocolate Hearts | Ghirardelli Gift Box | Conversation Hearts |
| Maryland | M&M’s | Conversation Hearts | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates |
| Massachusetts | Conversation Hearts | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | Chocolate Hearts |
| Michigan | Cupid Corn | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | Conversation Hearts |
| Minnesota | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | M&M’s | Conversation Hearts |
| Mississippi | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | Conversation Hearts | Chocolate Roses |
| Missouri | Conversation Hearts | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | Hershey Kisses |
| Montana | Chocolate Hearts | Conversation Hearts | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates |
| Nebraska | Cupid Corn | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | Chocolate Hearts |
| Nevada | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | Conversation Hearts | Chocolate Roses |
| New Hampshire | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | Conversation Hearts | Chocolate Hearts |
| New Jersey | M&M’s | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | Conversation Hearts |
| New Mexico | Chocolate Roses | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | Candy Necklaces |
| New York | Conversation Hearts | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | Cinnamon Bears |
| North Carolina | Conversation Hearts | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | Cupid Corn |
| North Dakota | M&M’s | Conversation Hearts | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates |
| Ohio | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | Cupid Corn | Conversation Hearts |
| Oklahoma | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | Conversation Hearts | Chocolate Roses |
| Oregon | Hershey Kisses | M&M’s | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates |
| Pennsylvania | Hershey Kisses | M&M’s | Conversation Hearts |
| Rhode Island | Chocolate Hearts | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | Conversation Hearts |
| South Carolina | Conversation Hearts | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | Ghirardelli Gift Box |
| South Dakota | Hershey Kisses | Conversation Hearts | Chocolate Hearts |
| Tennessee | Conversation Hearts | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | Wild Berry Skittles |
| Texas | Hershey Kisses | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | Conversation Hearts |
| Utah | Hershey Kisses | M&M’s | Conversation Hearts |
| Vermont | M&M’s | Conversation Hearts | Candy Necklaces |
| Virginia | Conversation Hearts | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | Cupid Corn |
| Washington | Conversation Hearts | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | Chocolate Roses |
| Washington, D.C. | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates | Conversation Hearts | Cinnamon Bears |
| West Virginia | Conversation Hearts | Cupid Corn | Candy Necklaces |
| Wisconsin | Conversation Hearts | Hershey Kisses | Ghirardelli Gift Box |
| Wyoming | Chocolate Roses | Conversation Hearts | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates |
It was a rough couple years starting in 2019 for Sweethearts conversation hearts candy. After Necco got ripped apart and its brands sent off to various bidders, Sweethearts’ new owner took more time than anticipated to get their feet under them. In fact, Sweethearts weren’t available in 2019 at all! As the most popular brand of conversation hearts (Brach’s makes a lot of them as well), the sales of conversation hearts overall were down over 24%.
In 2020, they were back but only a limited supply was available. As new owner Spangler hurried to get them out, they ran into some printing issues and the cute little sayings written on them were distorted and blurred. Quite a few of them were blank – no words at all. Doh!
In the last two years, they broke through again, reclaiming their dominance with a particular vengeance in 2022. With Spangler introducing all-new sayings on Sweethearts, conversation hearts made a heroic comeback in 2021, and all seems to be going very well for the chatty little cardiacs.
Hershey Kisses Moving In On M&M’s Gains?
Hershey’s Kisses are quickly making their way up the list of the most popular Valentine’s Day candy. Hershey’sKisses picked up two #1 spots this year and several runners-up and third-place finishes as well. 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, Oregon and Pennsylvania. By whom? None other than Hershey Kisses.
Cupid Corn is Back To #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 nimbler 3 spots in recent years after a long-time top V-day candy for the state.
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.
By Ben George ben@candystore.com