The Most Popular Ice Cream Truck Treat in Every State

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.

The most popular ice cream truck treat in every state

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.

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.

The most popular ice cream truck treats in America

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.