"Salty snacks are all about the crave, creating an ever-present opportunity for fun new flavors and textures."
For the most up-to-date market research on the US snacks market, take a look at Mintel’s newly published US Salty Snacks Market Report 2025
Topics Analyzed in this Report
- Consumption of different types of salty snacks and changes in consumption.
- Motivations and occasions for eating different types of salty snacks.
- Attitudes toward the US salty snacks market.
- Innovation in the US salty snack market.
- Salty snack market share trends.
Salty Snacks Market Overview
Even as the US salty snacks market has grown more prevalent and the motivations for snacking more varied, salty snacks are still all about the cravings. Flavor and texture are essential ingredients for any salty snack, and a steady stream of innovation in these areas fuels the US salty snacks market.
Salty Snacks Market Research Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
Foster discovery for new brands
Nearly everyone eats salty snacks at least occasionally, but young adults are likely to reach for a wider variety of salty snacks in a more diverse array of occasions such as part of a meal or to relieve boredom. The US salty snacks market holds ample opportunity for innovation that help consumers incorporate salty snacks into more occasions.
- Salty snacks market trends: 43% of 18-24 year olds snack as part of a meal.
Snackers put flavor first
Frequent users seek out new flavors and say that more interesting new flavors would motivate them to eat even more salty snacks. Seasonal twists, international flavors, and tie-ins with other brands draw strong interest within the salty snacks market.
Purchase our US Salty Snacks Market Report to receive a five-year forecast, consumer behavior analysis, and recommendations for market opportunities. Readers of this report may also be interested in our The Future of Salty Snacks, or our range of Snacks Market Research.
Brands Featured in the Full Report
Grandma’s Stuffing, Siete, Iwon Organics, Rivalz, Reece’s, Hershey’s, Jack Links, Doritos.
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- Key issues covered in this Report
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Executive Summary
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Consumer Insights
- Salty snack consumer fast facts
- Salty snack consumption
- Graph 1: past-three-month consumption of salty snacks, 2023
- Graph 2: past-three-month consumption of salty snacks, by age and gender, 2023
- Changes in salty snack consumption
- Graph 3: change in salty snack consumption, by gender and age, 2023
- Graph 4: motivations to increase salty snack purchase, by change in consumption vs last year, 2023
- Motivations and occasions for eating different types of salty snacks
- Graph 5: motivations and occasions for eating salty snacks – NET – any snack, 2023
- Graph 6: motivations and occasions for eating salty snacks – NET – any snack, by change in consumption vs last year, 2023
- Salty snack behaviors
- Graph 7: salty snack behaviors, by age, 2023
- Graph 8: salty snack behaviors, by change in consumption vs last year, 2023
- Salty snack attribute associations
- Attitudes toward salty snacks
- Graph 9: attitudes toward salty snacks, 2023
- Interest in salty snack innovation
- Graph 10: interest in salty snack innovation, 2023
- Graph 11: interest in salty snack innovation, by change in consumption vs last year, 2023
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Competitive Strategies
- Launch activity and innovation
- Marketing and advertising
- Opportunities
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The Market
- Market context
- Market drivers
- Graph 12: change in salty snack consumption, by personal financial situation, 2023
- Graph 13: assessment of personal financial situation, 2022-24
- Graph 14: snacking frequency, 2023
- Graph 15: reasons for snacking overall, 2023
- Market size and forecast
- Market segmentation
- Graph 16: segment share of total salty snack sales, 2023 (est)
- Graph 17: total sales of salty snacks, by segment, 2018-23
- Market share/brand share
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Appendix
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