CANDY: Top Valentine’s candy by state has been ranked by over 14 years of sales data collected by CandyStore.com. Candy is always a big part of celebrating Valentine’s Day, especially the day after when candies go on the discount shelves.

With 58 million pounds of chocolate bought during Valentine’s Day week alone, 47% of people said they will buy themselves a box of chocolates this year.

Last year, Covid-19 struck Valentine’s Day hard, according to the National Retail Federation. Spending was down more than 20% from the previous year’s all-time high of $27.4 billion. People were struggling and there was a once in a lifetime worldwide pandemic — it was understandable.

This year, things are picking back up. The federation is expecting a near-record breaking year with consumer spending for Valentine’s Day up nearly 10% and reaching $23.9 billion.

Different states prefer different candy though. That’s where CandyStore.com’s candy map comes in. Pennsylvania’s top Valentine’s candy pick for 2022 is M&M’s while in New York Heart-Shaped Boxes of Chocolates took the win.

M&M’s have continued to gain traction, according to the candy map. They made gains in several states throughout the country, landing a #1 spot in nine states. Since introducing the Cupid’s Message M&M’s in 2017, CandyStore.com has seen a rise in M&M’s sales for Valentine’s Day. Cupid’s Mix of Valentine’s Day colored M&M’s has also been very popular. The re-introduction of White Cheesecake M&M’s helped boost them as well.

Last year Spangler introduced all new sayings on Sweethearts, and conversation hearts made a heroic comeback in 2021. This year they took the top ranking in 12 different states.

To view the report and interactive map visit www.candystore.com/blog/holidays/