Here’s Illinois' Favorite Jelly Bean (Yes, Really)

If your favorite little (or big) kid lives in Illinois, don’t make the confectionary blunder of stuffing their Easter baskets with black licorice jelly beans. You should know better. If you don’t, a whimsical map will help you avoid flubbing candy choices for Easter and National Jelly Bean Day on April 22.

Besides the obvious question — who knew there was a National Jelly Bean Day? — the analysis answers other burning jelly bean questions like this one that raised our eyebrow: Yes, there is a buttered popcorn-flavored jelly bean, and, yes, nearly a dozen states prefer it.

Luckily, in Illinois, not so much. Those in the Land of Lincoln prefer chocolate-flavored jelly beans. The same flavor ranked at No. 21 nationwide, while fruit flavors such as watermelon, apple, blueberry, cherry and juicy pear, ranked much higher. Black licorice, by the way, came in at No. 2, and buttered popcorn was No. 1.

CandyStore.com analyzed 10 years worth of sales data and conducted an interactive survey of more than 12,000 customers to determine the favorite jelly bean flavors by state. The website estimates Americans will gobble up — or at least buy — 16 billion jelly beans this Easter. Try counting them in a jar.

Back to the buttered popcorn-flavored jelly beans: We’re sure this is an acquired taste — whatever makes your bunny hop — but it’s the No 1 flavor for jelly beans in the country, according to the analysis.

Licorice comes in as the No. 2 flavor, which we kind of get, followed by cinnamon- and watermelon-flavored candies. Stalwart cherry-flavored jelly beans ranked No. 5.

And maybe it’s just us, but flavors people traditionally enjoy on stick — toasted marshmallow and cotton candy — are surprisingly popular.

Check out the map here.

Photo via Shutterstock