D. Tighe
Research expert covering consumer behavior, sporting goods retail, and the global toy industry.
Halloween in the U.S. - Statistics & Facts
Halloween, also known as All Hallowe’en or All Hallows’ Eve, is a holiday celebration that takes place on October 31 each year. And while Halloween has dark origins spanning hundreds of years, it has evolved into more of a commercial tradition, in which people dress up, carve out pumpkins, and children haunt their neighbors in the hopes of acquiring confectionery.
In recent years, consumers have had to contend with economic turbulence. When asked about economic change and if it would impact their Halloween spending, results were mixed. While many respondents were unsure or believed there would be no impact, just as many consumers in the United States felt that both inflation and the pending recession would influence their spending behavior for the event.
Get out your costumes
These traditions are especially common in the United States, where projected annual Halloween expenditure reached an all-time high of more than 12 billion U.S. dollars in 2023. Projections for 2024 were only being slightly lower. It was also found that many American consumers prepared for the event quite early on. For costumes, for instance, about 30 percent of surveyed shoppers planned to acquire theirs at least three weeks in advance. Less than 10 percent of shoppers said they would start looking on the day itself. Whether it be for adults, children, or their pet(s), consumers spend a considerable amount of money on spooky outfits, with projected Halloween costume expenditure amounting to a total of nearly four billion U.S. dollars in 2024.Insidious traditions
In 2024, more than 70 percent of consumers in the United States said they intended to celebrate Halloween. Some of the most common ways to honor the holiday in the United States included decorating one’s home and/or yard, watching chilling films, and wearing scary costumes. The prevailing tradition involved candy. Over 40 percent of Americans planned to hand out sweets and treats on that fateful evening in October.Spend of the living dead
Although Halloween is a major seasonal event celebrated each and every year, it is far from the most costly consumer spending event. In terms of average per capita spend, events such as the back-to-class period and the winter holiday season are more likely to haunt shoppers in the United States. When asked how much they would spend for Halloween in 2023, approximately a third of Generation Z consumers believed they would pay anywhere between one and 100 U.S. dollars. On the other hand, a higher share of millennials anticipated that they would be spending over 100 U.S. dollars.In recent years, consumers have had to contend with economic turbulence. When asked about economic change and if it would impact their Halloween spending, results were mixed. While many respondents were unsure or believed there would be no impact, just as many consumers in the United States felt that both inflation and the pending recession would influence their spending behavior for the event.
