Plain Or Peanut? New Study Reveals PA's Choice In M&Ms

PENNSYLVANIA — When it comes to M&Ms, there’s one clear favorite in Pennsylvania, according to new study of Google trends released by Shane Co. just in time for Halloween.

Pennsylvanians prefer their M&Ms plain, says the study. And the Keystone State isn’t alone in its love of the classic.

According to the Google Trends data reviewed by the study, Classic M&M’s came in first in 22 states across America.

Their yellow-wrapped counterpart, peanut M&M’s, came in a close second at 14 states including Texas, Oklahoma, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Colorado and Nebraska.

“If any fans of the yellow M&M’s mascot feel disheartened right now, just remember that tough cowboys who live in the wild West preferred peanuts in their chocolate,” the study says.

Perhaps more interesting, according to the study, were the outliers found in the chocolate-drenched Google data. Interestingly, some states refused to participate in the great peanut debate altogether.

Kansas, for example, crowned the fudge brownie flavor king of the M&M’s. Michigan, home to the enduring Motor City, decided to go with something smaller by choosing the minis as their favorite M&M. So did its neighbor, Ohio, and Washington state.

North Carolina’s most-searched M&M flavor was probably the wildest of them all: white chocolate sugar cookie. The enduring popularity of this seasonal flavor throughout the Tar Heel State is a head-scratching mystery, says the study. This flavor was a holiday season exclusive in 2020, meaning it was only available for a limited amount of time.

“We guess that this combination of a white-chocolate-sugar-cookie shell coupled with a crispy center evoked a statewide nostalgia for simpler times that’s still going strong to this day,” according to the study.

“While classic and peanut M&M’s are undoubtedly the champions of the chocolate franchise, there were a few other choices that won more than one state,” the study reports.

Honorable M&Mentions include white chocolate M&M’s claiming victory over four states and pretzel and mini M&M’s winning three apiece.

White chocolate M&M’s saw popularity coast to coast, winning the hearts of residents in both New York and California. The flavor also pocketed some Southern states in the process, including Georgia and Florida. Pretzel M&M’s rose to prominence on the East Coast by being the most-searched flavor in Maryland, New Jersey, and Virginia.

“When it comes to these cute chocolate rounds, nothing beats the classics,” says the study. “The two most popular flavors across the country were the original and peanut M&M’s.

“It’s almost unfair to compare the two tiny titans to the rest of the flavors simply because they have been around for the longest time,” says the study.

M&Ms were first introduced to Americans in 1941 as military rations in WWII. Just over a decade later, Mars debuted peanut M&M’s to the public in 1954.