Halloween spending peaked at $9.1 billion in 2017 but decreased to about $8 billion during the pandemic. According to the National Retail Federation’s annual survey, total Halloween spending is expected to be $12.2 billion this year, and 73% of citizens are participating.
The NRF survey also found 40% of people are Halloween shopping at discount stores, 39% are shopping at Halloween stores, and 32% are shopping online.
The survey found 68% of people celebrating Halloween are dressing up. The U.S. is expected to spend $4.1 billion on costumes. The most popular genre for kids to dress up as are superheroes. Spider-Man is the most popular costume among children, with 2.6 million kids wearing it this year.
“I like wearing Halloween costumes because it allows me to adventure into a new world for the day,” said Sydney Gregory, a Chicago teenager who loves this holiday.
For adults, 5.8 million plan to dress up as witches, 2.4 million as vampires, 1.8 million as Barbie, and 1.3 million as a cat. If superheroes and witches do not sound compelling, there are plenty of other costume ideas, such as other animals, characters, occupations, and food.
Candy is also a massive part of the Halloween celebration.
“I like getting Halloween candy because it allows me to eat different treats, which I do not do often,” said Marist student, Sophia Mackenzie.
The average household expects to spend around $108.24 each on candy this year, according to USAToday.com. Many enjoy handing out candy, and 68% of people plan to. Also, according to the NRF survey, 28% of parents take their children trick-or-treating.
Retailmenot.com hosted a survey with 1,089 adult participants to discover the most popular Halloween candy. According to the study in 2023, that would be Reese’s Cups at 32% and Snickers in second at 14%. Hershey’s, Kit Kats, and M&M’s all tied for third at 10% each.
Decorating houses for Halloween is also on the rise.
“I enjoy decorating my house for Halloween because it gets me in the spooky spirit, and setting out carved pumpkins in front of my house is my favorite thing to do,” said Marist student, Savannah Weathers.
According to NRF’s survey, 77% of those celebrating Halloween plan to buy decorations. The total amount of spending in this area is expected to reach about $3.9 billion. Discount stores would be the top places to buy Halloween items for 40% of shoppers. The store Lowe’s has the widest variety of Halloween products, according to a Holiday lookbook in 2022. Many enjoy decorating their house with themes such as Nightmare Before Christmas, Coraline, and Scream. Others want more simple decorations like pumpkins, webs, and colorful lights.
