Candy, Costumes, and Commerce: Halloween by the Numbers
With it being Halloween season, it's always fun to take a deeper dive into the economics behind the spooky holiday celebrated worldwide. The National Retail Federation has tracked the holiday for more than two decades, and its latest survey expects Americans to spend $13.5 billion, an increase from the record-breaking 2025, when $13.1 billion was spent.
With so many Americans celebrating Halloween, the holiday has a noticeable impact on the economy. The seasonal boost in sales supports a wide variety of industries, including retail, manufacturing, logistics, and more. By examining spending numbers over the years, there is steady growth over the years. This could be due to several factors. First, more people may be celebrating the holiday. According to the NRF, the number of consumers planning to celebrate Halloween is up 6% from 2019. A more plausible explanation could be rising prices and tariffs that consumers don’t seem to be ignoring. One survey reported that 86% of consumers have noticed increased prices in Halloween candy in just the past year.
Although candy may be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of Halloween, costumes contribute the most to holiday revenue. This year around $4.3 billion is expected to be spent on spooky looks. It was also reported that over half of Americans celebrating Halloween in some way plan to wear costumes, with Spider-Man, witches, and vampires among the most popular.
Halloween never fails to impact the economy, even as consumers become more skeptical about prices. While many are spooked by the high prices of Halloween products, many Americans are finding ways to keep the holiday's scares alive with more affordable options like discount stores.
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