It's Official: These Are The Most Popular Gas Station Snacks In The U.S.
No road trip is complete without a slew of road trip-friendly snacks. After all, nothing makes driving down the highway more enjoyable than a salty bag of chips or a chewy chocolate bar in the passenger's seat. Sure you can stock up on fuel (for you, not the car) before you even get going, but a big part of the fun is hitting up a rest stop. When it comes to what you buy at said rest stop, well, turns out, people from each state have a different go-to and the results may surprise you.
Popular grocery store Kroger was on a mission to determine the most popular and cost-effective gas station snack in each state. To determine its rankings, it analyzed the 25 most popular gas station snacks' search volume by state and then ranked them by popularity in the United States overall. To add some interesting context, they used Instacart to calculate the average price of each snack around the country.
An unassuming contender? Rice Krispies Treats outdid all others by coming out on top as America's favorite gas station snack, averaging a cost of $4.44. Perhaps it's the nostalgic draw of childhood that has people grabbing these treats, or maybe it's because they aren't filled with sodium like many other snacks that leave you thirsty for a drink. Either way, the people have spoken.
Less surprising than the Rise Krispies Treat domination is beef jerky taking the number two slot. People in the states of Pennsylvania, Virginia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Wyoming, South Dakota, and Oklahoma all grab for this protein-packed treat when on the road, while much more affordable Taquitos come in a close third. Both the most and least affordable snacks are candies—Snickers (most popular in Maryland) are under $2, while Hi-Chew (favorite of the people of New Jersey) will cost you almost $9!
The Most Popular Gas Station Snacks in America
Rice Krispies Treat - $4.44
Beef Jerky - $5.56
Taquitos - $1.99
Chex Mix - $4.44
Snickers - $1.76
Doritos - $2.89
Toblerone - $3.69
Hi-Chew - $8.52
Flamin' Hot Cheetos - $5.89
Peanut M&M's - $1.79
Miss Vickie's Jalapeño Kettle Chips - $4.69
I don't know about you, but I'd love to see what the crossover is between gas station snacks and airport snacks because I see a lot of my go-to's on this list. Did your favorite snack make the list? All I know is I finally have a good excuse for buying that pack of Peanut M&M's—they're practically a steal!
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