When you think about Easter candy, marshmallow chicks, peanut butter eggs and cream-filled chocolate eggs are some of the more popular choices. However, jelly beans remain a perennial favorite in virtually every Easter basket.

CandyStore.com, an online wholesale candy supplier, recently ranked America’s favorite jelly bean flavors by state. The results may surprise some connoisseurs.

“Looking at over 11 years of candy sales data and the results from over 12,000 survey responses, we were able to map out jelly bean flavor preferences by state,” said a press release from CandyStore.com.

There are more than 200 flavors of jelly beans available, but Alabama prefers watermelon-flavored jelly beans. Pear-flavored jelly beans were ranked second, followed by black licorice in the third.

Nationally speaking, black licorice is no longer the top jelly bean, according to the company. This year’s king is buttered popcorn followed by cinnamon, black licorice, cherry and then watermelon.

Jelly bean facts

This year, Easter is April 21, while National Jelly Bean Day is April 22. The following are some facts you may not know about jelly beans:

• In the early 1900s, jelly beans were only sold in individual flavors;

• Jelly beans were the first confection to be sold by weight;

• 16 billion jelly beans are manufactured for Easter season alone. That many jelly beans could make it one-third of the way to the moon;

• Jelly beans were a Christmas candy until about 1930; and

• Blueberry bean lovers can thank Ronald Reagan. Jelly Belly needed a blue jelly bean when he was elected, and the blueberry jelly bean was born.

The best Easter candy

According to the National Retail Federation, Americans will purchase about $2.49 billion worth of candy this year, down slightly from $2.63 billion last year. Of the people who do not celebrate Easter, an estimated 33 percent will still purchase Easter candy.

Despite all that sugar, some consumers have their tried and true favorites. To that end, CandyStore.com recently announced its rankings of the best and worst Easter candy as determined by 23,000 surveys. Here’s a look from first to worst.

• Cadbury Mini Eggs;

• Hollow chocolate bunnies;

• Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs;

• Lindt Chocolate Carrots;

• Robins Eggs from Whoppers;

• Kinder Joy Eggs Candy;

• Gourmet jelly beans;

• Foil-wrapped chocolate eggs;

• Skittles-filled Easter eggs;

• Sour Patch Easter Bunnies;

“They may not have the history of chocolate bunnies, but Cadbury Mini Eggs are hugely popular,” said a press release about the survey. “They were far and away the most popular Easter candy in our study. There is just something about these little eggs that is irresistible.”

The worst Easter candy

• Cadbury Crème Eggs;

• Bunny corn;

• Peeps;

• Chicks & Rabbits;

• Solid chocolate bunnies;

• Jelly beans;

• Chocolate crosses;

• Carrot Cake Hershey Kisses;

• Jordan almonds; and

• Fluffy Stuff Cotton Tails.

“The chocolate shell is a problem,” according to one survey about Cadbury Creme Eggs. “The thing is hard enough to eat without making a mess, but god forbid the egg has gotten a tiny bit warm and the outer shell has softened. Then you’re in for a sloppy mess with this awkwardly shaped candy whose liquid filling does nothing to support its shape. It falls apart into goo.”

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