No one should ever need an excuse to eat ice cream, but you've got a great one this weekend with National Ice Cream Day coming up on Sunday (July 17).

This third-Sunday-in-July celebration has been a thing since 1984 and in honor of the big day, the folks at TopAgency.com have broken down the top flavor choices of each of the 50 states.

No surprise at the top, with chocolate reigning supreme in 14 states (Alabama, Hawaii, Louisiana, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia).

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A close second is South Dakota's top choice - Rocky Road.

We love the chocolate, nuts, and marshmallow creation along with folks in 11 other states (Alaska, Arizona, California, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, and Washington)

Maybe Rocky Road isn't your thing.

Here are the top five ice cream flavors we crave in the Mount Rushmore State.

  1. Rocky Road
  2. Chocolate
  3. Vanilla
  4. Green Tea
  5. Rainbow Sherbet

Even though we're only halfway into the year, 2022 is setting up to become a banner year for ice cream nationwide.

Sales of ice cream are up nearly 30 percent from a year ago.

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