How Much Did Americans Spend On Halloween In 2019?

Shoppers planned to spend an average of about $86 each this Halloween season, between costumes, candy for the youngsters and scary stuff for the yard, according to data from the National Retail Federation.

Halloween revelers in the United States will spend about 50 cents less per person on average than they did last year — $86.27, down from $86.79. The total works out to about $8.8 billion in spending across the country, down from about $9 billion last year, the NRF said.

The total is expected to be the third highest in the 15 years NRF has been doing the survey. The record was the $9.1 billion spent in 2017.

Nearly Double What We Spent In 2005

Individual Halloween spending has grown about 80%, not accounting for inflation, since 2005, when Americans said they planned to spend $48.48 each on Halloween. The amount rose for a few years then dropped after the 2008 recession, falling $10 in one year a decade ago, from $66 in 2008 to $56 in 2009. Five years ago, people were spending about $77.50 each.

Costumes, Candy And Decorations

That spending this year will work out to $3.2 billion spent on costumes, $2.6 billion on candy, $2.7 billion on decorations.

The survey found 172 million people plan to celebrate Halloween, which was 68% of those surveyed.

Other Spooky Facts

Also from the NRF survey:

• Twenty-nine million people said they planned to dress their pets in costume.
• More than one in three people get their inspiration for a costume from an internet search. The biggest online sources of ideas were Pinterest PINS, YouTube and Facebook's FB Instagram.
• The most common costume for kids this year is princess, followed by some type of super hero. Among specific super heroes, Spider-Man is most popular this year, followed by other Avengers characters and Batman.
• Among adults, the old standbys of witches and vampires remain the most popular. The most common pet costume is pumpkin.

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