Halloween Statistics 2026: Spending, Trends & Retail Data
Total spending (NRF, 2025 season — latest full data)
U.S. Halloween spending hit a record $13.1 billion in 2025, up from $11.6B in 2024 and the prior record of $12.2B (2023). Per-person spending reached a record $114.45. 73% of Americans celebrated.
| Category | 2025 spending | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Costumes | $4.3B | Adults $2.0B · children $1.4B |
| Decorations | $4.2B | 78% of celebrants buy — fastest-growing category |
| Candy | $3.9B | — |
Most popular kids' costumes: Spider-Man (2.3M children), princess (1.9M), witch (1.7M), ghost (1.6M), superhero (1.5M). (Source: NRF 2025 consumer survey)
When people shop
49% start shopping in September or earlier (vs 34% a decade ago). 16% start as early as July–August, and about two-thirds of Gen Z begin prep as early as July. Top reasons for shopping early: excitement for fall (44%), favorite holiday (37%), fear of items selling out (33%). (NRF; PwC Halloween trends)
The retail landscape
Party City closed all ~700 stores in early 2025 after accumulating $1.7B in debt — despite Halloween being a $12B+ business. Spirit Halloween, running the opposite playbook (temporary leases, ~$1.1B estimated annual revenue), opens a record 1,575 pop-ups for 2026 and is hiring ~52,000 seasonal workers, many in former Party City, Rite Aid, and Joann spaces. (Sources: NPR, Retail Dive)
How Halloween shopping is changing
Pinterest Halloween searches begin climbing in July and spike by early September. Referral traffic from AI assistants (ChatGPT, Perplexity) to e-commerce sites grew roughly 752% year-over-year, and ChatGPT now supports direct product discovery and checkout with major merchants — Halloween 2026 is the first season where "ask an AI what to buy" is mainstream behavior. (Sources: Social Media Today, Frase, OpenAI)
FAQ
How much do Americans spend on Halloween?
$13.1 billion total, $114.45 per person (2025 record; the 2026 NRF forecast lands around September — check back).
What's the biggest spending category?
Costumes ($4.3B), with decorations closing fast ($4.2B).
How many people celebrate Halloween?
About 73% of Americans.
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