Highlights. Total American spending for Halloween 2024 totaled an estimated $11.6 billion; candy spending alone accounts for $3.5 billion.
- The average American had a $103.63 budget for Halloween 2024 supplies, such as costumes and candy.
- The average household Halloween candy budget for 2024 was $31.69.
- Over 182 million Americans made a Halloween candy budget for 2024.
- Spiderman is the most popular costume among American children, with 2.6 million wearing this costume for Halloween 2024.
- Consumers purchase approximately 600 million pounds of Halloween candy annually.
*Most-purchased by weight.
Halloween Shopping for 2023 Statistics
In 2024, 72% of American consumers planned to celebrate Halloween.
- 77% of 2024 consumers did most of their Halloween shopping in-store while 23% mainly shopped online.
- 20% of participants in the 2024 Amazon shopping event Big Deal Days shopped for Halloween items.
- 64% of consumers shop for Halloween items at a big box store, such as Walmart.
- 38% of consumers consider Halloween shopping to be an important household expense.
- 22% of consumers say it’s never too early for retailers to display and sell Halloween items, both online and in-store.
- 58% of consumers spent less than $50 on Halloween costumes in 2024, while 16.3% spent over $100.
- 47% of Halloween shoppers planned to spend the same amount for the holiday in 2024 as they did the previous year.
- 31% of consumers planned to spend less on Halloween than in 2023, while 22% planned to spend more.
Halloween Spending Statistics
Americans spent a total of $11.6 billion or $103.63 per household for Halloween supplies in 2024.
- American households spent an average of $31.69 on Halloween candy in 2024.
- Households budgeted $33.92 for costumes and $33.57 for Halloween decor.
- Total nationwide retail spending for Halloween 2024 decreased by $600 million or 4.92% year-over-year (YoY).
- The average household Halloween budget decreased $4.61 or 4.26% YoY.
- Americans spent $12.2 billion for Halloween 2023, up 15.1% YoY.
- From 2020 to 2021, total Halloween spending increased 26.3% while household budgets grew 11.5%.
- While total Halloween retail spending declined 9.09% from 2019 (pre-pandemic) to 2020, the average household Halloween budget grew 6.78%.
Halloween Candy Spending Statistics
At one time, candy expenses consumed the largest portion of Halloween budgets; since 2018, candy has been the third-largest Halloween budget portion.
- Americans spent a total of $3.5 billion on Halloween candy in 2024.
- Candy is the most popular Halloween purchase; 68.4% of American households buy candy for Halloween.
- Halloween candy accounted for 6.46% of 2024 nationwide candy sales.
- $31.69 or 30.6% of the average Halloween budget goes toward candy.
- Americans’ favorite* Halloween candies are M&Ms, followed by Reese’s Cups, Sour Patch Kids, and Skittles.
- Bags of mixed candy bars are the most popular candy purchase for Halloween, with 54% of consumers purchasing in 2024.
- 22% of Halloween candy buyers purchase regular-sized candy bars, and 10% purchase king-sized bars.
*Most-purchased by weight in pounds.
Halloween Costume Spending Statistics
The largest share of the average Halloween budget goes toward costume purchases.
- In the U.S., adults spend 38.5% more on their own costumes than they do on children’s costumes.
- Shoppers spent a total of $3.8 billion on costumes for Halloween 2024, down 7.32% YoY.
- The average consumer had a costume budget of $33.92, down 7.93% YoY.
- Consumers spent a total of $1.8 billion or 47.4% of all costume expenditures on adult costumes.
- $1.3 billion was the projected total expenditure for children’s costumes for Halloween 2024 (34.2% of total costume expenditures).
- Americans have budgeted $700 million for pet costumes over the last four seasons (18.4% of total costume expenditures).
- Among adults, witch is the most popular costume; 5.8 million adults (and 1.6 million children) planned on witch costumes for Halloween 2024.
- 46% of Halloween shoppers consider budget when choosing their costumes.
- 38% of shoppers search online for costume inspiration.
- Halloween costume spending totaled $4.1 billion in 2023, up 13.9%.
- From 2020 to 2021, total costume expenditures increased 27.2%.
- Costume spending in 2021 even surpassed pre-pandemic 2019 totals by 5.06%.
- Costume budgets are the only Halloween-related expenses that increased between 2021 and 2022.
Halloween Decor Spending Statistics
Decorations are the second-most popular Halloween purchase after candy; 3-in-4 celebrating households have decorations in their 2024 Halloween budget.
- Halloween decoration spending totaled $3.8 billion in 2024, down 2.56% YoY.
- 66% of Americans had a Halloween decoration budget of $50 or less in 2024.
- In 2024, $33.57 or 32.4% of the average Halloween budget was for decorations.
- From 2020 to 2024, the average Halloween decoration budget increased 13.3%.
- Americans spent a total of $763.3 million on pumpkins during the 2024 Halloween season, down 9.20% YoY.
- Halloween pumpkin sales in 2024 were 3.73% higher than their 5-year average.
- The cost of pumpkins increased 23.5%from 2017 to 2024 for a CAGR of 3.06%.
- Halloween decoration spending increased 31.3% faster than total Halloween spending from 2019 to 2024.
- 31% of Americans spend as much or more on Halloween decorations than they do on Christmas decor.
Halloween Shopping Statistics
Most consumers begin shopping for Halloween in the first two (2) weeks of October.
- 37% of shoppers source their Halloween supplies from discount stores.
- 33% of consumers shop online in preparation for Halloween.
- 33% of consumers report shopping at specialty Halloween and costume stores.
- 28% shop at grocery stores or supermarkets and 22% shop at department stores for Halloween supplies.
- Craft and fabric stores, home decor, and clothing stores each serve Halloween shoppers at an average rate of 12%.
- Thrift stores and resale shops attract an average of 12% of Halloween shoppers.
- Small and local businesses and home improvement stores each serve 9% of Halloween shoppers.
- Drug stores and greeting card/gift stores each serve 7% of Halloween shoppers.
- 3% of consumers buy Halloween supplies from catalogs.
- 47% of consumers begin shopping for Halloween in September or earlier.
- 15% of Halloween consumers don’t begin shopping until mid-October.
Halloween Consumer Statistics
Halloween consumer behavior varies across demographics.
- 25- to 34-year-olds budget an average of $124.43 for Halloween, outspending other age groups by at least 20%.
- 56% of 25- to 34-year-olds who celebrated Halloween in 2024 started shopping before October, a 19.1% higher rate than all consumers.
- 86% of 25- to 34-year-olds celebrated Halloween 2024, 19.4% more than the average for all age groups.
- 37% of Halloween celebrators between 25 and 34 years old decorated before October, versus only 27% of all consumers.
- Halloween costumes are most popular with consumers aged 18 to 34, who purchase at a 34.8% higher rate than all consumers.
- Shoppers aged 18 to 34 also purchase party supplies at a 36.8% higher rate and decorations at a 10.9% higher rate than all Halloween celebrators.
- Consumers aged 35 to 54 are 12.5% more likely to purchase pumpkins for Halloween.
- Shoppers aged 55 and older are 8.75% more likely to purchase candy than all consumers.
These data and insights were compiled by the Capital One Shopping team based on publicly available data.
Sources
- National Retail Federation, Retail Holiday and Seasonal Trends: Halloween
- Statista, Halloween in the U.S. – Statistics and Facts
- Reader’s Digest, Most Popular Halloween Candy
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Population by Characteristics
- CandyUsa.com
- Power Reviews, Halloween Spending Trends Report
- Google Trends, Halloween
- Finder, Cost of Pumpkins
- Civic Science, Halloween Draws Reduced Spending and Mixed Reactions This Year
- Forbes, Scary Sugar High from Rising Halloween Candy Prices
- YouGov, Halloween in the USA