The National Confectioners Association’s inaugural “Getting to Know Gum and Mint Consumers 2025” report found that gum and mints account for 13 percent of all confectionery sales.
Generational turnovers are reshaping subcategories, with Millennial and Gen Z consumers driving virtually all growth in gum and mints, according to the report. As such, total gum and mint sales are projected to reach $6.7 billion in all channels by 2030, an increase of nearly $1 billion.
Since 2020, annual gum sales have grown $1.2 billion to $3.9 billion while that of mints increased by $462 million to $3.9 billion.
Although Boomers maintain an outsized influence in mints, the five-year forecast suggests that Millennials and Gen X will control more than 70 percent of gum unit sales within five years, a shift that also signals changes to purchase patterns and future trends.
Other insights from the NCA report include:
- Chew on this – Gen X is most likely to carry gum, while Gen Z is most likely to ask for some, preferably in stick or pieces. The top flavors are mint and spearmint, closely followed by strawberry, watermelon and cinnamon.
- In agreement – By far and away, classic mint is America’s favorite mint flavor and consumers new and old are happy to take them in mini and hard formats. Breath-freshening mints accounted for 60 percent of total mint sales.
- Popular benefits – Nearly half of gum consumers are interested in the product’s functional benefits, like teeth whitening, stress relief and focus enhancement, and Millennials are twice as likely as Boomers to seek out those attributes.
- Stuck on you – Households with children are much more likely to buy bubblegum, gumballs and rolled gum, aligning with the preferences of Gen Z and Millennial families.
Survey methodology
NCA’s Getting to Know Gum and Mint Consumers 2025 data was collected using an online survey conducted between Sept. 28-Oct. 4 with a national sample of 1,822 consumers between the ages of 18 and 75.
The margin of error associated with the survey is plus or minus 2.5 percent at the 95 percent confidence level. The research was made financially possible by Choward’s, Mane, Perfetti Van Melle and VerMints.
The full Getting to Know Gum and Mint Consumers 2025 report is available to NCA member companies and retailers at CandyUSA.com/
About the National Confectioners Association
The National Confectioners Association is the voice of the U.S. confectionery industry. Its member companies produce chocolate, candy, gum and mints and drive $54 billion in retail sales.
NCA champions policies that help candy makers and other stakeholders in this unique category thrive while reminding consumers that chocolate and candy are treats.
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