Fresh spooky studies from Swedish Sweets Wholesale have revealed some of US trick-or-treaters key preferences for today’s ghoulishly great celebrations, reports Neill Barston.

The US continues to lead the way in Halloween festivities, with retail sales for the confectionery and snacking sector totalling some $8billion, according to data from Circana research group, with results expected to exceed that figure for 2026. 

Notably. the National Confectioners Association (NCA) is set to celebrate the occasion at the White House in Washington, through providing a wide range of spooky treats for an assembled gathering of invited families. (See our exclusive video preview of the spooky season here).

Speaking on the White House celebrations, the NCA said: “The National Confectioners Association is proud to partner with the White House to celebrate Halloween 2026 and bring the beloved tradition of trick-or-treating to the South Lawn of the People’s House. For generations, chocolate and candy have played a special role in Halloween celebrations, bringing families, friends, and communities together to create lasting memories.

“From neighbourhoods across the country to Pennsylvania Avenue, NCA’s member companies are proud to make the treats that help make the Halloween season one of America’s most cherished traditions.”

Study results
According to the Swedish Sweets study, its analysed Google search volume (per 100,000 people, benchmarked against US Census data) for sweet vs sour candy across all 50 states plus DC, and built a simple ratio to see where each state’s candy preference actually sits.

Its results showed the clearest “buy sour” states: Alaska, North Dakota, Wyoming and Vermont, where sour candy searches make up 14-20% of all sweet+sour search volume — several times the ~4% national norm.

Meanwhile, the clearest “buy sweet” states: New Jersey, Washington, Massachusetts, Maryland and Michigan, where sour searches barely register at all (sweet-to-sour ratios of 150:1 or higher). The highest volume was in fact Maryland, at 1,278 monthly sweet searches per 100,00 population, with the District of Columbia close behind at 1,168, and Massachusetts, at 1,120.

According to the company, the results came out of a wider project from Swedish Sweets Wholesale, a leading US supplier of Swedish sweets — a category that leans heavily sour/salty, so the state-level split was a natural thing to explore.