Americans are expected to spend a record $13.5 billion on Halloween in 2026, even as higher candy and costume prices stretch the same celebration budget further. Halloween falls on Saturday, 31 October 2026, in the United States, and the National Retail Federation’s annual survey puts planned spending about $400 million above last year’s $13.1 billion.
The headline figure is a forecast of what shoppers planned to spend, not a tally of receipts. The survey, conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics from 1 to 9 September 2026 among 7,889 consumers, found 74% of Americans planned to celebrate, up slightly from 73% in 2025.
Where the $13.5 billion goes
Costumes lead the spending, followed closely by decorations, while candy remains the purchase almost everyone makes. According to the NRF Halloween survey, greeting cards are more popular this year, with planned spending rising to $0.8 billion.
| Category | Expected spending | Share planning to buy |
|---|---|---|
| Costumes | $4.4 billion | 71% |
| Decorations | $4.3 billion | 78% |
| Candy | $4.1 billion | 96% |
| Greeting cards | $0.8 billion | 42% |
Average planned spending per person is $115.14, barely above $114.45 in 2025. That near-flat average is the clearest sign of the season’s tension: the total rises because more people are celebrating, not because the typical shopper plans to spend much more.
Why candy costs more this year
Candy buyers are paying up to 15% more than last year, according to the Groundwork Collaborative, cited in a Halloween prices report published on 31 October 2026. Packs from chocolate makers Hershey and Ferrero are 19% more expensive, as weather problems have affected cocoa crops in West Africa, while gummy candy from Mondelez, the maker of Sour Patch Kids and Swedish Fish, is up 39%.
Shoppers appear to be adjusting rather than abandoning chocolate altogether. Figures from market research firm NIQ, reported by Reuters, showed Halloween chocolate revenue fell $33.1 million in the nine weeks through 17 October 2026 compared with a year earlier, even as overall Halloween spending was expected to rise.
Other seasonal costs have moved more gently. At one Virginia pumpkin farm featured in the same report, the hand-pick price rose 10 cents a pound, to 80 cents from 70 cents last year, with the owner citing higher diesel and fertilizer costs.
Costumes: the $10 difference shoppers notice
In Washington, DC, costume shop owner Lorenzo Caltagirone told CNN that adult costumes at his Total Party store are about $10 more expensive this year, bringing totals to between $50 and $70. He pointed to licensing costs, higher import costs linked to tariffs, more expensive materials, and freight costs up at least 20% in the last year.
Most of his costumes are imported, with 95% coming from China and some from Vietnam, and few made in the United States. That import exposure is why a costume can feel dearer even when the design has not changed: the same outfit carries higher freight and material costs before it reaches the shelf.
Shoppers are finding workarounds in the store. A group of college students who balked at $60 Minion costumes bought goggles, gloves and hats instead, while another shopper spent about $20 on accessories for a makeshift priest costume rather than $30 to $40 for a full outfit.
How shoppers are actually buying
Discount stores remain the top destination, chosen by 39% of Halloween shoppers, followed by specialty Halloween and costume stores at 32% and online shopping at 27%. Local and small businesses have also gained ground, with 13% planning to buy there, almost double the 7% recorded a decade ago in 2016.
Nearly half of consumers, 47%, are using AI platforms and tools to support their Halloween shopping, most often to brainstorm ideas while planning or to ask for recommendations during product research. Online searches remain the leading source of costume inspiration at 32%, though that is down from 37% last year and its lowest level in a decade.
For households watching the wider holiday calendar, the next big spending window is already set: the Walmart Black Friday sale dates run from 12 November to 2 December 2026. Grocery and candy shopping itself is also changing, after the DoorDash Instacart grocery deal agreed on 29 October 2026, although that combination is not expected to close until late 2027 or early 2028.
Stretching a Halloween budget without spoiling it
Start with the item that matters most, usually the costume or the candy bowl, and let accessories do the rest of the work. A $20 accessory set can carry a character that a $60 full costume would have delivered, as the Washington shoppers showed, and the saving can go toward candy or decorations instead.
Compare the same bag, box or costume across discount stores, specialty shops and online sellers before buying, since the survey shows shoppers are already splitting purchases across all three. Buying candy early also helps only if the price is genuinely lower: check the price per ounce, not just the bag size, because smaller packs can hide a higher unit price.
Finally, keep the $115.14 average in perspective. It is a national average across celebrants, not a target, and a household that spends less on decorations or skips greeting cards can still put on a full Halloween without matching it.
