There should be no doubt that Halloween and Halloween Candy is big business.
UNDATED—(AVC News)—The National Retail Federation reports, in their 2026 Halloween Survey, that total Halloween sales this year will rise to a record $13.5 Billion. Up from $13.1 Billion last year.
This total includes; $4.4 Billion for costumes and $4.3 Billion for Decorations
Candy sales alone accounts for $4.1 Billion of that total, this also up from $3.9 Billion in candy sales in 2025 and just over double the $2 billion spent in 2011.
The NRF Halloween Survey shows that 74% of Americans plan to celebrate Halloween while 96% of shoppers plan to buy candy, spending an average of $34.79.
Popular Halloween Candy for 2026
The top Halloween Candy for 2026 is frankly, up for debate.
You ask 10 people their favorite, you may get 10 different answers.
Doing research for this story met a similar fate. It depends on who you talk to.
The various sources, such as Instacart, DoorDash and Candystore.com all have slight variations as to the favorite Halloween candy this year.
Instacart’s top 5 are Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Peanut M&M’s, Hershey’s Milk Chocolate, M&M’s and Snickers.
Candystore.com’s top 5 are M&M’s, Sour Patch Kids, Skittles, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and NERDS gummy Clusters.
Meanwhile, DoorDash has posted a similar top 5 of; Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Hershey’s Milk Chocolate, M&M’s, Snickers and NERDS.
A breakout hit this year appears to be NERDS Gummy Clusters who debuted on many charts, coming out of nowhere.
DoorDash notes that the biggest change in their list includes Haribo. which entered their top 10 for the first time, knocking out Twix.
DoorDash also notes that old-school candy is also making a comeback, led by Circus Peanuts, with orders up 350%, Lemonheads up 200%, Bit-O-Hone increasing 180% and Dum-Dums up 100%
The Candy Corn debate rages on
You can’t talk about Halloween candy without mentioning the polarizing topic of Candy Corn.
Candy Corn has the unique title of being on both the Most Loved and Most Hated Halloween Candy at the same time. Often at, or near the top.
This year, Candystore.com reports candy corn is #8 in national sales volume and on their top favorites list at #8, but is again #1 in their ranking for the worst Halloween Candy.
