What is NC’s favorite Halloween candy? This year, a new No. 1 reigns.

North Carolina has new favorite Halloween candy this year.

Reese’s Cups once ruled, but sweet tooths change, and M&M’s have taken over the top spot, according to CandyStore.com.

North Carolinians consume 96,110 pounds of M&M’s around Halloween, according to the website that sells bulk candy across the country. (In case you are wondering, that amount is the equivalent weight of a third of a blue whale.)

California-based CandyStore.com uses 10 years of sales data for its rankings of the top Halloween candy in each state.

Reese’s Cups finished a closed second in North Carolina, with 95,763 pounds devoured, while candy corn placed third with 62,308 pounds in our tummies.

“Baby Ruth did not make the list, even though Babe Ruth hit his first home run in NC!” CandyStore adds on its online summary of the state’s top three Halloween candies.

In South Carolina, candy corn ranks No. 1, followed by Skittles and Hot Tamales.

Nationally, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups rule the Halloween candy world, followed by Snickers, Twix, Kit Kat, MM’s, Nerds, Butterfinger, Sour Patch Kids, Skittles and Hershey Bar, according to CandyStore.com.

An expected $2.7 billion will be spent on trick-or-treat candy this year, CandyStore projects.

Which do kids hate most?

CandyStore doesn’t release state-by-state rankings, but nationally, Circus Peanuts are most reviled. “There is no way to describe the vileness that is Circus Peanuts,” the website says.

Source: CandyStore.com.

While candy corn ranks high in the Carolinas, the rest of the country begs to differ, considering it second-worst to put in Halloween bags.

“Candy corn is nothing special,” says CandyStore. “There are absolutely better candies out there. But if you can’t enjoy stuffing handfuls of candy corn into your pie hole, well, I don’t even know what to tell you.”

Wax Coke Bottles ranks third-worst, followed by Necco Wafers, Peanut Butter Kisses, Tootsie Rolls, Smarties, licorice, Good & Plenty and Mary Janes.

This story was originally published October 21, 2017 at 9:00 AM with the headline "What is NC’s favorite Halloween candy? This year, a new No. 1 reigns.."