Here’s how much Americans plan to spend on Halloween this year

Halloween candy: A brief history

Let's take a brief look at the history behind Halloween candy and how it became the sweetest day of the year.

Americans are expected to break records on Halloween spending this year as excitement returns to pre-pandemic levels.

According to the National Retail Federation’s annual survey by Prosper Insights & Analytics, 69% of consumers plan to participate in Halloween, up from 65% in 2021 and close to the 68% in 2019. In all, Americans are expected to spend a whopping $10.6 billion on Halloween candy, costumes and decorations.

"Halloween is an exciting time for many families, and that enthusiasm is reflected in the number of Americans who plan to celebrate the holiday this year," NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said in a statement.

The survey says consumers plan to spend about $100 on average for Halloween this year, on par with 2021’s record of $103.

One in five people plan to put their pet in a costume, and 28% of people said they plan to attend a Halloween party. Nearly 70% of people said they plan to hand out candy to trick-or-treaters, and more than half said they’ll decorate their homes.

What do people spend the most on for Halloween?

36e5a766-New York City Area Celebrates Halloween 2020

An Upper West Side home is decorated for Halloween in New York City. (Photo by Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images)

Costumes make up the bulk of the money spent on celebrating Halloween, according to the NRF.

Spending on kids’ and adult costumes is expected to total $2.9 billion, the most since 2017. Pet spending is expected to exceed last year's record high, reaching $710 million.

What are the most popular Halloween costumes?

A child wearing a Spiderman costume looks out of the window (Photo by Md Manik/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

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Most people still get their costume ideas from the internet, but about a quarter of people surveyed said they’ll look for costumes at retail stores. Another 19% said they get inspiration from their family and friends.

The survey found that more than 2.2 million children plan on dressing as Spiderman this year. The other top costumes for children include:

princess
witch
ghost
superhero
Batman
pumpkin
zombie
vampire
pirate

For adults, the top costumes in the survey are:

witch
vampire
ghost
pirate
cat
Batman
zombie
Spiderman
Dracula
devil
princess

And when it comes to our furry friends, the survey revealed the following top costumes for pets:

pumpkin
hot dog
bat
bumblebee
witch
lion
spider
ghost
superdog
supercat
devil

The survey included 8,283 participants from Sept. 1-6.