During the 2023 Halloween season, consumers in the United States (U.S.) spent about 3.6 billion U.S. dollars on candy. This was a slight uptick compared to 2022 and exceeds pre-pandemic levels. Sales have risen for the third year in a row.
Halloween traditions
Approximately 73 percent of Americans planned on celebrating Halloween in 2023. This constitutes the highest participation rate within the last eight years. In 2020, the share of Americans who participated in Halloween activities fell significantly, due the COVID-19 pandemic. The tradition of Halloween, which is celebrated on October 31st in the U.S., includes a variety of activities, such as trick-or-treating, attending costume parties, or carving pumpkins. On average, the expenditure on Halloween-related items among U.S. consumers amounts to about 108 U.S. dollars annually. The average Halloween expenditure has more than doubled since 2005. Many consumers planned to do their Halloween shopping in advance. About a third of U.S. consumers planned on buying Halloween candy between four and seven days before the event. Furthermore, a quarter of consumers even planned on purchasing candy eight to fourteen days in advance.
Halloween-costumes
Due to the increases in inflation in 2022, consumers have generally tried to cut back. As a result, slightly less than one-third of American consumers planned to decrease their spending Halloween costumes to deal with the inflation. Nonetheless, in 2023, a total of 4.1 billion U.S. dollars was spent on spooky outfits and costumes by U.S. consumers for the Halloween season. Costume purchases make up the largest spending category during the Halloween season, as compared to decorations, candy, and greeting cards. The leading destination for Halloween costume shopping in the U.S. is Amazon. About 60 percent of U.S. consumers purchased their costumes through the online retailer.
