Tonight, millions of Americans will hand a stranger’s kid a piece of chocolate that costs more than it did last year, and then complain about it in the group chat.
The National Retail Federation expects Halloween spending to hit $13.5 billion this year, up from $13.1 billion in 2025. That works out to about $115 per person. Candy alone is $4.1 billion, and 96 percent of the people celebrating plan to buy some.
Here’s the part that got me. A 100-piece bag of assorted Halloween candy now averages $16.96, up from $9.91 in 2021. A FinanceBuzz study put the increase at 71 percent, while overall inflation over the same stretch was 22 percent. Candy outran everything else by a mile. Each little fun-size bar runs about 17 cents now, and you’ll hand one to a kid dressed as a ghost who is clearly just wearing a pillowcase.
Pumpkins tell the same story. The average carving pumpkin is $5.35, up from $4.06 in 2020. The share of Americans planning to buy one fell from 56 percent to 42 percent. People looked at a gourd and said no thanks. I respect that, honestly, because it’s a squash you’re going to stab and then watch rot on your porch.
Meanwhile we’re spending $920 million on pet costumes. Your dog doesn’t know it’s October. Your dog has never once asked to be a hot dog. If the budget is tight, that’s the line item I’d cut first, and I say that as someone who has seen a dachshund in a bun and smiled.
I’m not mad at the candy companies for charging what the market will pay. That’s how it works, and I’d defend their right to post fat profits any day of the week. What I like less is how quietly it happens. Nobody announces a 71 percent increase. They shave the bag, nudge the price, and count on you not remembering what it cost three years ago. Same game as the food at Disney World, just with smaller portions and more sugar.
The good news is that the 74 percent of us who plan to celebrate aren’t skipping it. We’re paying up, the same way we always do. Kids still get their haul, and the cost of the haul is something parents will notice around the third unwrapped Snickers they sneak for themselves.
If you’re doing the math at your front door tonight, buy the full-size bags early next year, hand out one piece per kid instead of a fistful, and stop pretending the leftover bowl isn’t for you.
My two cents: a fun-size bar that costs 17 cents had better taste like a full-size one.