How Much Money Is Spent on Halloween? 2026 Data Breakdown

Americans expect to spend $13.5 billion on the holiday in 2026, according to the National Retail Federation’s annual consumer survey, conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics. That averages $115.14 per person. The NRF polled 7,889 U.S. adults between Sept. 1 and Sept. 9 and published the results on Sept. 22, with a margin of error of plus or minus 1.1 percentage points.

The figure is a projection, not a count. Nobody has tallied $13.5 billion in receipts yet.

How much does the average person spend on Halloween?

Planned per-person spending sits at $115.14, up from $114.45 in 2025. Go back to 2019 and the same survey reported $88.27. Go back to 2005 and the total for the entire country was $3.3 billion.

An average hides a wide range. One household hands out a single bag of candy and calls it done. Another buys three kids’ costumes, a themed porch and a hat for the dog. NRF’s own podcast puts average per-household treat spending near $52, rising to about $60 in homes with children.

Where does the $13.5 billion actually go?

Costumes take $4.4 billion, decorations $4.3 billion, candy $4.1 billion and greeting cards $0.8 billion.

Costume money splits three ways. Adults account for $2 billion, children $1.5 billion and pets $0.92 billion. Almost a billion dollars will be spent dressing animals that have no idea what month it is.

Participation rates explain the rest. Candy reaches the widest audience, with 96% of shoppers planning to buy some. Decorations follow at 78%, costumes at 71% and greeting cards at 42%.

Why are more people celebrating this year?

Seventy-four percent of consumers plan to mark the holiday, up from 73% in 2025 and 68% in 2019. Two forces drive that growth: more households joining in, and a calendar quirk. Oct. 31, 2026 lands on a Saturday, the first time that has happened since 2020.

What the NRF survey does and does not measure

The $13.5 billion covers retail goods only. Party tickets, haunted house admission, bar tabs, restaurant meals and travel sit outside the four categories. Treat the total as a floor for what the holiday costs the country, not a ceiling.

How Much Money Is Spent on Halloween Each Year

Total spending on the holiday has roughly quadrupled since 2005, when the NRF first put the national figure at $3.3 billion. The path was never straight. Spending reached $8.8 billion in 2019, then fell to $8.0 billion in 2020 as the pandemic shut down parties, haunted houses and door-to-door trick-or-treating.

The rebound came quickly. Totals ran $10.1 billion in 2021 and $10.6 billion in 2022, then jumped to $12.2 billion in 2023, the first year in the series that the NRF called a record.

How has spending changed since 2005?

The series reads like a staircase with one broken step. Spending sat at $3.3 billion in 2005, crossed $5 billion in 2006 and stayed in the $5 billion to $6 billion band for most of the next decade, then cleared $8 billion in 2012.

Growth came in bursts, and the bursts track participation more than price. When more households decide to celebrate, the total jumps. When they sit out, it sags, even if the people who do celebrate spend the same amount.

Why did spending fall in 2024?

The 2023 total of $12.2 billion slipped to $11.6 billion in 2024, and per-person spending dropped from $108.24 to $103.63. Oct. 31, 2024 landed on a Thursday, which squeezed the party-heavy weekend. That calendar reading comes from industry analysts, not from a finding in the NRF survey.

Does a record total mean people are spending more per person?

Not really. Total spending rose about 3% from 2025 to 2026, while per-person spending rose less than 1%. Adjusted for inflation, the gain narrows further. One widely shared analysis found that the 2025 record of $13.1 billion was worth about $8.7 billion in 2009 dollars, close to 2023 in real terms.

Where does Halloween spending go from here?

Seventy-nine percent of shoppers expect prices on Halloween items to be higher this year because of tariffs. Their response is telling: 34% plan to look for items they can reuse, 31% plan to compare prices more and 26% plan to hunt for coupons. Participation has room to grow but not much, since the holiday already reaches three in four adults.

How Much Money Do Americans Spend on Halloween Candy

Candy is the one purchase almost nobody skips. The NRF projects $4.1 billion in candy spending for 2026, with 96% of shoppers planning to buy some, the highest participation rate of any category. That works out to about $35 per person.

How much does the average household spend on candy?

Household budgets tell a different story. NRF’s Halloween podcast puts the average treat budget near $52, and about $60 in homes with children. That gap is the cost of being the house on the block everyone remembers.

Volume matters more than unit price for most households. A family that hands out candy buys several large mixed bags rather than one small one, because the bowl has to last from the first doorbell to the last.

Why has Halloween candy gotten more expensive?

Candy prices climbed faster than most grocery items over the past five years. A FinanceBuzz study cited widely in 2025 found that Halloween candy prices rose 78% between 2020 and 2025, with a 100-piece bag of assorted candy moving from about $9.19 to $16.39. Cocoa prices hit historic highs in 2024 and 2025, pushing chocolate makers to raise prices or shrink package sizes.

Tariffs added a second layer. The NRF found that 79% of shoppers expect higher prices because of import duties, and roughly 90% of seasonal merchandise contains at least one component made overseas, mostly in China.

Which treats cost the most per pound?

Chocolate carries the highest cost per pound, since cocoa is the expensive ingredient. Gummies, hard candies and candy corn sit lower on the price curve, which is one reason value-focused shoppers mix them in.

Candy corn is the cheapest crowd-pleaser in the aisle and also the most polarizing one. It sells for a few dollars a bag and sparks more arguments than any other treat on the shelf.

How can families cut the candy bill?

Buy early and buy in bulk. Candy stocked in September is usually cheaper per ounce than the same candy bought on Oct. 30. Check unit price rather than bag price, since fun-size pack counts vary widely between brands. Then estimate how many trick-or-treaters actually come to your door and buy for that number plus a small cushion.

How Much Is the Average Halloween Costume

Costumes are the single largest line in the holiday budget. The NRF projects $4.4 billion in costume spending for 2026, and 71% of shoppers plan to buy at least one. That breaks down to $2 billion for adults, $1.5 billion for children and $0.92 billion for pets.

What do costumes cost for kids, adults and pets?

Per-person costume spending lands near $37, but that average includes people who skip costumes entirely. Retail tags tell a more useful story. Mass-market kids’ costumes typically run $20 to $50. Adult costumes start around $30 at discount chains and climb past $80 at specialty shops. Pet costumes generally fall between $15 and $35.

Trackers publish different ranges each year, so treat any single figure as a guide. The pattern holds: pets cost the least, adults pay the most, and licensed characters add a premium at every age.

Are DIY costumes really cheaper?

Sometimes, and that is the honest answer. A costume built from clothes already in your closet costs almost nothing. One that requires a glue gun, spray paint, a wig and a specialty prop can easily cost more than the store-bought version it was meant to beat.

Thrift stores and costume swaps sit between the two. Resale shops sell gently used children’s costumes at a fraction of retail, often with tags still attached. Community swaps let families trade last year’s outfits for this year’s.

Why do licensed costumes cost more?

Licensing fees. A costume tied to a Disney, Marvel or Warner Bros. character carries a royalty on top of manufacturing cost, and those fees show up on the price tag. Retailers also know that the character a child names in September is the one they will demand in October.

Tariffs add to the total. About 90% of seasonal products contain at least one overseas component, and analysts estimate that duties have added $5 to $10 per unit to costume prices.

When is the cheapest time to buy a costume?

September or earlier. Nearly half of shoppers now start before October, up from 34% a decade ago, and early buyers get the best selection and pre-season pricing. By mid-October, popular sizes are gone.

Nov. 1 is cheapest of all, when leftovers are discounted to clear. That timing only helps next year, which is exactly what a growing number of families plan for.

How Much Candy Is Sold for Halloween

Halloween is the biggest candy event on the American calendar. The National Confectioners Association estimates that about 600 million pounds of candy change hands for the holiday each year, a total no other holiday approaches.

How many pounds of candy does Halloween move?

Chocolate accounts for roughly 70% to 75% of seasonal candy sales, followed by gummies, chewy fruit candies and hard sweets. Candy is also the most universally purchased item of the season, with 96% of shoppers planning to buy some. Decorations reach 78% of shoppers and costumes only 71%.

Homes that hand out candy buy in bulk. A typical household picks up several large mixed bags rather than a few small ones, since running out before the porch light goes off is the one outcome nobody wants.

How much candy corn gets sold every year?

About 35 million pounds, which works out to roughly 9 billion individual kernels. That makes candy corn one of the most produced seasonal candies in the country, and about 75% of its annual sales happen around Oct. 31.

Brach’s, now part of the Ferrara Candy Company, makes the overwhelming majority of it. The candy itself is older than most people assume. George Renninger invented it at the Wunderle Candy Company in Philadelphia in the 1880s, when workers poured three colors into kernel-shaped molds by hand, one layer at a time.

How much candy never gets eaten?

No trade group publishes a reliable waste figure, and estimates that circulate online vary too widely to repeat with confidence. What is documented is that concern about leftovers is real. Dentists across the country run post-Halloween buyback programs, a practice dating back decades, where children trade part of their haul for cash or prizes.

Which candy brands dominate October?

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups hold the top spot in most consumer polls, followed by Snickers, M&M’s, Skittles, Twix and Kit Kat. Candy corn occupies a category of its own. It consistently ranks high in sales and near the bottom in preference surveys, a strange and durable combination that no other candy manages.

Are Banks Closed on Halloween

No. Halloween is not a bank holiday, a federal holiday or a state holiday anywhere in the United States. Banks follow their normal schedule on Oct. 31, whatever day of the week it falls on. In 2026 that day is a Saturday, so most branches will already be closed or running shortened weekend hours.

Is Halloween a federal holiday?

It is not, and the list is short. Federal law at 5 U.S. Code 6103 names exactly eleven legal public holidays, from New Year’s Day to Christmas. October 31 appears nowhere on it.

Adding a date requires Congress to pass a bill and the president to sign it. Juneteenth, signed in 2021, was the first addition in nearly four decades. No serious effort to recognize Halloween has ever gained traction.

What bank services still work on October 31?

Everything electronic, around the clock. ATMs dispense cash and accept deposits at any hour. Mobile check deposit, online bill pay and person-to-person services like Zelle all run normally over a weekend. If you need a teller, find a branch that opens Saturdays and confirm the hours first.

Does the Saturday date in 2026 change anything?

It changes more than people expect. Chase branches that open Saturdays typically run 9 a.m. to 1 or 2 p.m., Bank of America 9 a.m. to noon, Wells Fargo 9 a.m. to noon and TD Bank 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Drive-through lanes often stay open 15 to 30 minutes past closing.

The payment rails matter more. Fedwire and the ACH network do not settle transfers on weekends, regardless of the date. A wire sent Friday, Oct. 30 that misses the daily cutoff will not settle until Monday, Nov. 2. Deposits made by phone or ATM on Saturday typically post Monday as well.

What about the post office, courts and the stock market?

The U.S. Postal Service delivers mail and keeps retail windows on their normal Saturday schedule, which is limited. Federal courts and agencies operate on standard rules. The New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq do not list Oct. 31 as a holiday, but in 2026 the date falls on a weekend and the markets are closed for that reason alone.

One deadline worth noting: third-quarter IRS Form 941 is due Oct. 31, which in 2026 is a Saturday, so the filing rolls to Monday, Nov. 2.

Are Restaurants Busy on Halloween

Yes, and the pattern is well documented. Point-of-sale data from Toast, which tracks transactions across thousands of U.S. restaurants, found that overall restaurant transactions ran 7% above the average Thursday. Pizzerias did considerably better.

What does the data say about restaurant traffic?

Pizzerias recorded 18% more transactions and 12% higher average tickets compared with a typical Thursday. Circana reports that large restaurant chains see about a 0.6% lift in transactions during Halloween week, while quick-service pizza chains see 6%, making it one of their strongest weeks of the year. Consumers are also 23% more likely to order delivery on Halloween.

Why is pizza the biggest winner on Halloween night?

Three reasons stack up. Pizza travels well, feeds a group from one box and arrives fast, which matters on a night when parents are managing costumes, doorbells and candy bowls at once. It is also easy to theme, and pumpkin-shaped pies cost almost nothing to add to a menu.

The sales numbers back it up. Pizza sales at pizzerias jumped 50%, and restaurants that are not pizzerias still sold 37% more pizza than usual.

What time do diners actually show up?

Earlier than a normal night, and then much later. Toast’s data shows transactions at 4 p.m. up 70%, as families eat before trick-or-treating starts. Traffic dips slightly at 7 and 8 p.m. while the neighborhood is out, then surges at 10 p.m., up 46%, and 11 p.m., up 90%.

Beverage orders tell the same story. Tequila sales at pizzerias rose about 38%, while beer slipped 3% and wine fell 16%.

Should bars and restaurants staff up?

The historical answer is yes. Lightspeed Commerce data shows bars open on Oct. 31 posted 15% higher total sales and 26% more tickets than a normal night, with spirits up 68% and cocktails up 34%. Takeout orders rose 11.37% on weekday Halloweens. Results varied wildly by city, from a 107% jump at Los Angeles bars to a 49% decline in Minneapolis.

Frequently asked questions about Halloween spending

How much does the average American spend on Halloween?

The NRF puts planned spending at $115.14 per person in 2026, up slightly from $114.45 in 2025. That covers costumes, candy, decorations and greeting cards.

Is $13.5 billion a record?

It is the highest dollar total in the NRF’s survey series, which dates to 2005. The trade group describes 2026 as maintaining last year’s level rather than setting a new record, because per-person spending is essentially flat. Some outlets call it a record based on the total alone.

How much should a family budget?

Start with the NRF’s category averages: about $37 for costumes, $37 for decorations and $35 for candy per person. Households with children spend more on candy, closer to $60. Add pet costumes, party supplies and pumpkins, and a family of four with a dog lands somewhere between $200 and $400.

Do banks close on Halloween?

No. Banks have never closed for Halloween because it is not a recognized holiday. In 2026, Oct. 31 is a Saturday, so branches run typical Saturday hours and many are shut for the weekend as they would be on any other Saturday.

Are restaurants open on Halloween?

They are, and many are busier than usual. Delivery orders rise about 23% that night, pizza chains see a 6% transaction lift during the week, and bars report higher sales and larger tickets. Reservations are worth making for sit-down dinners, especially when the holiday lands on a weekend.

When is the cheapest time to buy Halloween candy?

Buy in late October if you are restocking for the night itself, when retailers discount remaining seasonal stock. If you want selection rather than a bargain, buy in September. The steepest markdowns come in the first week of November, which is the moment to stock up for next year.

How much candy should you buy for trick-or-treaters?

Estimate the number of children who visit your door, then work from there. A standard 90 to 100-piece mixed bag covers roughly 90 visitors at one piece each. Most households that run out buy a second bag mid-evening, so buying one bag more than your estimate usually beats making a trip.

Why is Halloween spending so high compared with other holidays?

Because Halloween is a participation holiday rather than a gift-giving holiday. Seventy-four percent of adults take part, and nearly everyone who takes part buys something. There is no single big-ticket exchange, just a long list of small purchases that add up across a month of parties, decorations and candy.

The real cost of Halloween is whatever you decide it is

$13.5 billion is a large number, and it is easy to read it as a verdict on excess. It is not. The NRF’s own per-person average of $115.14 describes an entire season of porch lights, costumes, candy bowls and scary movies. Some of those households will spend $20. Some will spend $600 on an animatronic skeleton that terrifies the mail carrier.

Both choices are fine. Halloween does not ask for a registry or a gift list, and it fits whatever you already own, whether that is a costume built from your closet or a carved pumpkin on the step. The retail machine around the holiday is real, from $0.92 billion in pet costumes to a candy aisle that starts stocking in August. None of it obligates you to spend a cent.

The holiday costs what you decide it costs. Spend $15 or spend $500. Dress the dog or leave the dog alone. The only measure that matters at the end of Oct. 31 is whether the people in your house had a good time, and that part has never come with a price tag.