Snack dollar sales in the U.S. in 2017, by category

This statistic shows the sales value of snacks in the United States in 2017, by product category. In the 52 weeks ending April 1, 2017, salty snack sales generated approximately 27.72 billion U.S. dollars. That year, PepsiCo had the biggest market share in the savory snack market in the United States.

The U.S. snack food market

The snack food market is segmented into salty snacks, such as dried meat, chips, and pretzels; confectioneries, such as chocolate and candy; cheese snacks, cookies, crackers, ice cream, and nuts. The snacks are distributed through specialty stores, independent stores, online stores, convenience stores, supermarkets and hypermarkets. Some of the biggest snack manufacturing companies in the United States are Nestlé SA, Hershey’s, and Kellogg’s. The snack food industry has been on the rise, which is possibly due to an increase in consumers’ disposable income and their decreased willingness for cooking. In 2018, 53.62 percent of medium income consumers in the United States were interested in cooking. Snacks are ready-to-eat and are considered more convenient than preparing meals. Furthermore, consumers are switching their preference for more healthy snacking options such as quinoa bars and vegetable-blend ice creams.