Shopping for your sweetie? Here’s the favorite Valentine’s Day candy in each state

Shopping for the perfect Valentine’s Day gift can send your stress levels through the roof. But if your loved one has a sweet tooth, it just got a whole lot easier.

Bulk sweets retailer CandyStore.com just released its list of the most popular Valentine’s Day candies for each state. The company analyzed its sales from the last 12 years to determine the most sought after sweets, the report says.

Chocolate in its many forms reigned supreme in most states thanks in large part to the traditional Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolate, which took the top spot in states including California, Washington, Florida, New York and North Carolina.

M&Ms had a strong showing, topping the podiums in Kansas, Iowa and Idaho, among others, the report says. Chocolate Hearts won over the likes of Nevada, Nebraska and Maine.

While most states saw chocolate treats at the top of the podium, a more colorful confection made a strong showing despite some misfortune the year before.

Recently, Conversation Hearts surpassed the traditional heart-shaped box of chocolates in national popularity, the report says, but that changed last year when Necco, maker of the candy hearts, was purchased by a new company and didn’t have time to manufacture the hearts before the big day, VOX reported.

Other brands such as Brach’s stepped in to fill the void, the report says.

This helped launch Conversation Hearts to the most popular position in Montana, North Dakota, Illinois, Louisiana, Kentucky, Missouri, South Carolina, West Virginia and Virginia, as well, the report says.

Less frequent winners were Candy Necklaces, which only took the top spot in Alabama, and Chocolate Roses, which won the hearts of Oregon and Wyoming, the report says.

But do people really buy candy for Valentine’s Day? It certainly seems that way: CandyStore.com reports an estimated $2.4 billion is expected to spent on Valentine’s Day candy this year.

This story was originally published February 2, 2020 at 11:02 AM with the headline "Shopping for your sweetie? Here’s the favorite Valentine’s Day candy in each state."