Candy by the numbers: Is your favorite Halloween treat made by a family-owned business?

A new study of bulk candy sales data has revealed the top ten Halloween candy choices nationwide (Reese’s Cups are the national favorite) and the most popular Halloween candy in every state. All but one of the of the top national picks, along with several state favorites, are manufactured by family enterprises.

According to the National Retail Federation, Halloween candy spending should reach $3.6B this year, up from $3.1B in 2022. Family enterprise stats in the US are just as impressive: 87% of all businesses, or 32.4M businesses, are family businesses; 59% of the private workforce, or 83.3M jobs (excluding, government), are in family businesses; and 54% of the private GDP, or $7.7T, is generated by family businesses.*

And, family enterprises are important to EY. In fact, EY is the market leader in serving family enterprises:

Caption: 2022 EY and the University of St. Gallen Global Family Business Index (https://familybusinessindex.com)

Whether you buy candy to share with your neighborhood trick-or-treaters, partake in it yourself or both, enjoy the data around candy, family business and how both impact the economy. Happy Halloween from the EY Family Enterprise team!

National top 10 and state favorite Halloween candy from family-owned companies:

The Hershey Company:

• Reese’s Cups
• Hershey’s Kisses
• Hershey’s mini bars
• Jolly Ranchers

Mars:

• M&M’s
• Starburst (The Wrigley company, a subsidiary of Mars)
• Snickers
• Skittles (The Wrigley company, a subsidiary of Mars)
• Milky Way

Just Born

• Hot Tamales

Ferrero Group/Ferrara Candy Company

• Largest manufacturer of candy corn, under the Brach’s Confections label
• Butterfingers

Tootsie Roll Industries

• Blow Pops
• Tootsie Pops

Contact Bobby Stover ([email protected]) Americas Family Enterprise and Family Office Leaders, to learn more about EY’s commitment to the Family Enterprise market.

*Employees at America’s Family Businesses?Are Doing Better, Update 2021: Family Businesses’ Contribution to the US Economy