Perhaps the sweetest Valentine’s Day tradition — aside from telling your significant other how much they mean to you, and yada yada yada, or whatever — is candy. Valentine’s Day spending is expected to reach $23.9 billion in 2022, and Americans are planning to spend a good chunk of that on sweets, according to the National Retail Federation.
In fact, a survey commissioned by the NRF found that 56% of Americans consider candy to be one of the most essential gifts on Valentine’s Day, followed by cards and flowers.
But Americans may be divided on their favorite Valentine’s Day candies, according to a study from CandyStore.com. Using 14 years of sales data from its own retail platform — as well as data from “industry partners” — the online outlet has allegedly determined the most popular Valentine’s Day candies in each of the United States.
So, what were the preferred candies of America’s romantics?
Heart-shaped boxes of chocolates — that old standby — were determined by CandyStore.com to be the favorite purchase of 17 states. Conversation hearts and Valentine’s-themed M&Ms followed in second and third place, the favorite of 12 states and nine states, respectively.
Somewhat less popular were chocolate roses, the apparent favorite of Kentucky and Wyoming, and candy necklaces, which only Alabama seems particularly keen on.
Looking to stock up on your sweetheart’s (supposedly) favorite sweets? A complete list of each state’s preferred Valentine’s candy, according to Candystore.com, can be found below.
All that other sappy stuff — confessions of love, or romantic date ideas, and whatever — is up to you.
| Alabama | Candy Necklaces |
| Alaska | Conversation Hearts |
| Arizona | M&M’s |
| Arkansas | Hershey Kisses |
| California | Conversation Hearts |
| Colorado | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates |
| Connecticut | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates |
| Delaware | Hershey Kisses |
| Florida | Conversation Hearts |
| Georgia | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates |
| Hawaii | Conversation Hearts |
| Idaho | Conversation Hearts |
| Illinois | Conversation Hearts |
| Indiana | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates |
| Iowa | M&M’s |
| Kansas | M&M’s |
| Kentucky | Chocolate Roses |
| Louisiana | Conversation Hearts |
| Maine | Chocolate Hearts |
| Maryland | M&M’s |
| Massachusetts | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates |
| Michigan | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates |
| Minnesota | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates |
| Mississippi | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates |
| Missouri | Conversation Hearts |
| Montana | Chocolate Hearts |
| Nebraska | Cupid Corn |
| Nevada | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates |
| New Hampshire | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates |
| New Jersey | M&M’s |
| New Mexico | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates |
| New York | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates |
| North Carolina | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates |
| North Dakota | M&M’s |
| Ohio | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates |
| Oklahoma | Conversation Hearts |
| Oregon | M&M’s |
| Pennsylvania | M&M’s |
| Rhode Island | Chocolate Hearts |
| South Carolina | Conversation Hearts |
| South Dakota | Hershey Kisses |
| Tennessee | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates |
| Texas | Hershey Kisses |
| Utah | Hershey Kisses |
| Vermont | M&M’s |
| Virginia | Conversation Hearts |
| Washington | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates |
| Washington, D.C. | Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates |
| West Virginia | Cupid Corn |
| Wisconsin | Conversation Hearts |
| Wyoming | Chocolate Roses |