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The Most Popular Ice Cream Truck Treat in Every State

FinanceBuzz used Google Trends data to find out which treat every state loves most when the ice cream truck rolls through.

Ice cream truck
Updated Sept. 24, 2024
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Ice cream trucks have been a familiar part of summer for generations in the U.S. They bring a bevy of delicious and refreshing popsicles, ice cream bars, and more to the members of their communities during long, hot summer days.

While new, trendy treats may get added now and then, most ice cream trucks stick to the childhood classics we grew up with. But which frozen treats are the true kings of summer? To find out, the FinanceBuzz team used Google Trends data to find the most popular ice cream truck choice in the U.S.

In this article

Of the 15 classic ice cream truck treats included in this analysis, every single one of them proved most popular in at least one state, which shows the diversity of preferences and justifies each treat’s spot on ice cream truck menus.

But among the crowd, a few treats stood out as the (ice) cream of the crop, with one in particular taking the top spot in nearly half the country.


State Most popular ice cream truck treat
Alabama Ice cream sandwich
Alaska Drumstick
Arizona Ice cream sandwich
Arkansas Ice cream sandwich
California Ice cream cookie sandwich
Colorado Ice cream sandwich
Connecticut Ice cream sandwich
Delaware Italian ice
District of Columbia Ice cream sandwich
Florida Snickers Ice Cream Bar
Georgia Strawberry Shortcake Bar
Hawaii Ice cream sandwich
Idaho Drumstick
Illinois SpongeBob SquarePants Bar
Indiana Orange Dreamsicle
Iowa Bomb Pop
Kansas Bomb Pop
Kentucky Orange Dreamsicle
Louisiana Ice cream sandwich
Maine Ice cream sandwich
Maryland Ice cream cookie sandwich
Massachusetts Ice cream sandwich
Michigan Strawberry Shortcake Bar
Minnesota Ice cream sandwich
Mississippi Ice cream sandwich
Missouri Ice cream sandwich
Montana Ice cream sandwich
Nebraska Bomb Pop
Nevada Ice cream sandwich
New Hampshire King Cone
New Jersey Ice cream sandwich
New Mexico Drumstick
New York Scribblers
North Carolina Ice cream sandwich
North Dakota Drumstick
Ohio Snickers Ice Cream Bar
Oklahoma Snow Cone
Oregon Fudgesicle
Pennsylvania Chocolate Éclair Bar
Rhode Island Ice cream sandwich
South Carolina Ice cream sandwich
South Dakota Bomb Pop
Tennessee Ice cream sandwich
Texas Snickers Ice Cream Bar
Utah Ice cream sandwich
Vermont Ice cream sandwich
Virginia Ice cream sandwich
Washington Ice cream sandwich
West Virginia Drumstick
Wisconsin King Cone
Wyoming Screwball

The classic ice cream sandwich is the most popular choice at ice cream trucks in the U.S., topping the list in 24 states. Though multiple brands make ice cream sandwiches, some more distinctly branded items also have significant popularity. Drumsticks, Bomb Pops (also known as Firecrackers), and Snickers Ice Cream Bars all finished among the top five.

Beyond individual states’ preferences, we wanted to find out how popular each ice cream truck item is overall. By looking at total search volume, we were able to rank the top 10 treats in order of their total popularity.


Tips for saving money while you beat the heat

Whether you are splurging on your favorite ice cream or blasting your A/C to keep cool, summer can turn up the heat on your wallet. Here are some tips on how to save money this summer:

  • Stock up on your favorite treats and save. If you’re craving ice cream, using one of the best credit cards for groceries is a great way to earn points and rewards while keeping your freezer well stocked with cool treats.
  • Take a summer vacation and get rewarded. Summer is a great time for travel, and taking a much-needed trip can feel even better if you use one of the top travel credit cards to earn points, miles, and other rewards.
  • Stay inside and make money on your phone. Looking for a way to make some extra cash this summer? Stay indoors and play some legit game apps that pay real money to beat the heat while adding to your bank account.

Methodology

FinanceBuzz collected Google Trends data on 15 common/classic ice cream truck desserts.

For this analysis, we looked at “Search Interest” data for each ice cream truck treat in every state.

Search Interest is a metric Google uses that normalizes searches to account for things like population, geography, and search proportionality compared to other terms, and then scales the results to assign a Search Interest score between 0 and 100.

Data for each ice cream truck treat was collected individually. To break ties, treats were compared head to head directly within the Trends platform. The time frame for the collected data was set to “past 12 months.” Data was collected in July 2023.

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Author Details

Josh Koebert

Josh Koebert is a Senior Data Journalist at FinanceBuzz who writes about personal finance trends. As an experienced researcher, Josh’s data-driven stories focus on the intersection between economics and consumer behavior: where personal finance meets everyday life.