These U.S. States Are the Most Obsessed With Halloween

Wilder Shaw is a staff writer at Cheapism covering food, specializing in taste tests and fast food. He has over a decade of food-writing experience, and his work has appeared in Thrillist, The Washington Post, L.A. Taco, Time Out, and numerous other publications.

Halloween party at home

svetikd/istockphoto

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Halloween party at home
svetikd/istockphoto
Trick or treat
Trick or treat by george ruiz/ Flickr (CC BY)

The Top 10 States That Give Out the Most Candy

  1. Pennsylvania 
  2. Kentucky 
  3. Utah 
  4. Idaho 
  5. New Hampshire 
  6. Indiana 
  7. Missouri 
  8. Kansas 
  9. West Virginia 
  10. Ohio 

Nice work Pennsylvania; this is a good thing to be known for. And, I’ll point out here that Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Utah, New Hampshire, and Indiana appear in the Top 10 on both the State Decorations and State Candy lists. Respectable. 

Orange plastic halloween bucket filled and overflowing with candy
nkbimages/istockphoto

The Top 10 Cities That Give Out the Most Candy

  1. Pittsburgh 
  2. Denver 
  3. Boston 
  4. Portland 
  5. Jacksonville 
  6. Indianapolis 
  7. Charlotte 
  8. Seattle 
  9. Louisville 
  10. Nashville 

Okay, Pittsburgh. We see you. Steel City is making it rain with candy. And Seattle is probably making it rain with real rain and candy. 

Halloween Jack-o-Lantern Pumpkins on a porch stairs
valentinrussanov/istockphoto

The Top 10 States That Decorate the Most

  1. Utah 
  2. Pennsylvania 
  3. Kentucky 
  4. Texas 
  5. New Hampshire 
  6. Indiana 
  7. Wisconsin 
  8. Michigan 
  9. New Jersey 
  10. Arizona 

Halloween spirit is alive in Utah, and look at that; our pal Pennsylvania is right there at No. 2. Undeniable Halloween spirit. 

A house with Halloween pumpkins and halloween decorations at Halloween night on a city street. Trick or treat.
vzphotos/istockphoto

The Top 10 Cities That Decorate the Most

  1. Denver 
  2. Las Vegas 
  3. Portland 
  4. Boston 
  5. Austin 
  6. Seattle 
  7. Indianapolis 
  8. Charlotte 
  9. Dallas 
  10. Columbus 

Love to see Denver in the Top 2 cities both times around.  

Children collecting candy on pumpking baskets at Halloween Trick or Treat event
Colorsandia/istockphoto

The Bottom 10 States For Handing Out Candy

41. Georgia 

42. Rhode Island 

43. North Dakota 

44. Montana 

45. Delaware 

46. Wyoming 

47. South Dakota 

48. Vermont 

49. Alaska 

50. Hawaii 


Not a great look for Hawaii and Alaska in both rounds, but especially bad for Hawaii. What’s the deal with that? 

lantern pumpkin Jack-o-lantern halloween decoration on the streets.
Dmitriy Galaganov/istockphoto

The Bottom 10 States For Decorations

41. Louisiana 

42. South Carolina 

43. Wyoming 

44. South Dakota 

45. Alaska 

46. North Dakota 

47. Montana 

48. Alabama 

49. Mississippi 

50. Hawaii 


I’m lazy when it comes to decorating, so look, I get it. 


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