Halloween candy now costs 71% more than in 2021
A 100-piece bag of Halloween candy averages $16.96 this year, up 3.5% from last year and 71% since 2021, a FinanceBuzz price study found. High cocoa and sugar costs are keeping prices up. Shoppers still plan to spend about $13.5 billion on Halloween, the National Retail Federation says.
Halloween candy is costing more again this year, and a 100-piece bag now averages $16.96, up 3.5% from 2025, a FinanceBuzz price study found. That is 71% more than in 2021, when the same amount cost $9.91. Overall inflation rose about 22% in that time.
The good news is that the climb is slowing. The bag rose just 57 cents this year, after jumps of $2.45 and $2.34 in the two years before, FinanceBuzz said.
The main culprits are cocoa and sugar. A collapse in cocoa production and bad weather for sugar crops have kept prices high, CNN reported. Candy and gum prices rose 32% from December 2019 to November 2024, according to federal data. The cost of the raw materials candy makers use rose 87.6% over the same stretch.
Shop owners feel it. "Everybody's feeling the pinch today because of the inflation," Stew Leonard Jr., president of the grocery chain Stew Leonard's, told CNN.
Shoppers aren't giving up the holiday, though. The National Retail Federation expects Halloween spending to reach about $13.5 billion, up from last year's record of $13.1 billion. The average person plans to spend $115.14. About 74% of Americans plan to celebrate, the group's survey found.
Candy is nearly universal on shopping lists: ninety-six percent of Halloween shoppers plan to buy it, and they will spend about $4.1 billion on it, NRF says. Costumes are the biggest category at about $4.4 billion, including $920 million for pet costumes. Decorations come in at about $4.3 billion. Spider-Man and witches top the costume lists.
Many people are looking for ways to save, and about 31% plan to compare prices, and 26% plan to use coupons, NRF found. Nearly half started shopping in September or earlier.
The candy makers' trade group says trick-or-treating is holding up. The National Confectioners Association says 81% of Americans plan to take part in Halloween, including 94% of parents.
Here's a tip from the numbers: buying early and in bulk can help, but compare unit prices, since bigger bags are not always cheaper per piece. Store brands and post-sale bargains on Nov. 1 can also stretch a budget.
What we know: Candy prices are up 3.5% this year, and total Halloween spending is expected near $13.5 billion.
What we don't: Whether cocoa costs will ease enough to bring candy prices down next year.
Where outlets agree The National Retail Federation and FinanceBuzz both put expected Halloween spending this year at about $13.5 billion.
Where they differ NRF expects spending to hold near record levels, but nearly a third of shoppers say they will compare prices, a sign that many budgets are stretched.