Candy companies want to know: What will make Americans start chewing gum again? Gum's bubble burst during the COVID-19 pandemic, when masks and social distancing made bad breath less of a worry and fewer people spent on impulse buys. The number of packages of gum sold dropped by nearly a third in the United States in 2020, according to market research firm Circana, and consumer demand has picked up only slightly since then.
- Recent numbers: Last year, US chewing gum sales rose less than 1%, to 1.2 billion units, which was still 32% fewer than in 2018. Although sales in dollars are back to pre-pandemic levels, that's mostly due to inflation. The average pack of gum cost $2.71 last year—$1.01 more than it did in 2018, Circana said.