Expected Halloween spending rises in tandem with inflated prices

Halloween spending is set to hit an all-time record this year, and the scary-high prices across many spooky season categories could be contributing to the jump.

The National Retail Federation (NRF) reported Halloween spending this year is set to reach $13.1 billion, up nearly 13% from last year’s spending, with per person spending increasing ~$11 to $114.45. That increase doesn’t necessarily mean shoppers are buying more or that more of them are in the spooky spirit this year—about the same percentage of consumers (73%) plan to celebrate the holiday as last year (72%).

Most shoppers (79%) said they expected prices on Halloween items to be higher because of tariffs, per NRF. Anticipated spending on candy rose over 11% from $3.5 billion in 2024 to $3.9 billion this year, with spending on costumes and decorations up about 13% and 11%, respectively. The amount of consumers turning to discount stores for Halloween shopping (42%) is also up five percentage points from 2024.

And inflationary worries are creeping into shopping plans: A recent survey by Empower found that half of consumers are scaling back Halloween spending due to inflation—with 19% saying rising candy prices and inflation will lead them to spend less on candy.

According to Circana data shared with Retail Brew comparing year over year prices for the 34 weeks ending August 31, Halloween-related categories including chocolate and non-chocolate candy, mass cosmetics, paint and painting supplies, fabric and paint markers, and toy paints kits (including face paint) all saw price increases.

Retail Brew identified a handful of jumpscare-worthy price tags. At Target, Haribo’s Sour Bats candy saw a 15.5% price jump to $1.49 this year. Both a 18.71 oz. bag of fun-size Halloween Snickers candy and a 16.38 oz bag of assorted miniature Hershey’s chocolate soared 22% from $6.79 to $8.29 this year. Those prices are higher than the 8.1% annual rate for candy and chewing gum the Bureau of Labor Statistics most recently reported.

Even pumpkins are more expensive this year, with a weighted average price of $5.11 each compared to $4.86 last year, according to a USDA national retail report from October 3.

And some costume prices have notched up, too. The price of a Disney adult Nightmare Before Christmas Sally costume jumped from $35 to $45 (over 28%!) at Target, while all children’s costumes in Costco’s Teetot line rose 5.6% to $37.99 this year. Those too, surpass the 0.2% apparel inflation rate.