"Whether it’s dressing in costume or carving a pumpkin, more consumers plan to take part in Halloween activities and traditions. Retailers are prepared to ensure the shopping experience is a treat for consumers this Halloween season."
WASHINGTON – Halloween spending is expected to reach a record $13.1 billion this year, according to the National Retail Federation’s annual consumer survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics. The figure is up from $11.6 billion last year and exceeds the previous $12.2 billion record set in 2023.
“Even with concerns about price increases due to tariffs, Halloween continues to resonate with consumers of all ages,” NRF Vice President of Industry and Consumer Insights Katherine Cullen said. “Whether it’s dressing in costume or carving a pumpkin, more consumers plan to take part in Halloween activities and traditions. Retailers are prepared to ensure the shopping experience is a treat for consumers this Halloween season.”
Most Halloween shoppers (79%) anticipate prices will be higher this year specifically because of tariffs. Despite these reservations, nearly three-quarters of consumers (73%) plan to celebrate the holiday, in line with last year’s 72%. Top holiday activities include handing out candy (66%), dressing up in costume (51%) and decorating their home or yard (51%). Compared with last year, more people also plan to carve a pumpkin (46%), throw or attend a party (32%), visit a haunted house (24%) or dress up their pets (23%).
Candy continues to be the most popular purchase, with total spending expected to reach $3.9 billion. Across other categories, 71% plan to purchase costumes and spending is expected to reach $4.3 billion. Another 78% plan to purchase decorations, up from 75% last year, and will spend an estimated $4.2 billion in total. And 38% plan to purchase greeting cards, an increase from 2024’s 33%, with total spending estimated at $0.7 billion.
Per-person spending has reached a record high of $114.45, nearly $11 more than last year and up from the previous record of $108.24 in 2023.
Like last year, consumers continue to gravitate toward early shopping. Nearly half of consumers (49%) began shopping in September or earlier, a slight increase from 47% the year prior. Leading reasons consumers are shopping early are because they are looking forward to fall (44%), Halloween is one of their favorite holidays (37%), they do not want to miss out on desired items (33%), and they want to avoid the stress of last-minute shopping (33%).
Discount stores (42%) remain the top destination to buy Halloween items, followed by specialty Halloween/costume stores (31%) and online (31%). Discount stores saw a five-percentage point increase in shoppers this year, up from 37% in 2024.
“For consumers looking to balance their budgets, strategies such as buying early to spread out purchases or shopping at discount stores are just some ways they are being mindful of costs,” Prosper Executive Vice President of Strategy Phil Rist said. “Despite these budget considerations, consumers are committed to prioritizing Halloween celebrations to create special memories with their loved ones.”
The leading sources of Halloween inspiration continue to be online searches (37%), within a retail store or costume shop (27%), and friends and family (21%).
Costumes Ranked: Children
For children, $1.4 billion will be spent on costumes this year. This Halloween, 2.3 million children plan on dressing up as Spider-Man, 1.9 million as a princess, 1.7 million as a witch, 1.6 million as a ghost and 1.5 million as their favorite superhero.
Costumes Ranked: Adults
Consumers are expected to spend $2 billion on costumes for adults. Among this group, 5.6 million plan on dressing up as a witch, 2.7 million as a vampire, 1.6 million as a pirate, 1.6 million as a cat and 1.6 million as Batman.
Costumes Ranked: Pets
Pets continue to join in on Halloween celebrations, with consumers planning on spending $0.86 billion on costumes for their furry friends. Popular costumes for pets include a pumpkin (9.8%), a hot dog (5.4%), a bumblebee (4%), a ghost (3.1%) and a superhero (3.1%).
The survey asked 8,045 consumers about their Halloween shopping plans. It was conducted Sept. 2-9 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.1 percentage points.
As the leading authority and voice for the retail industry, NRF provides data on consumer behavior and spending for key periods such as holidays throughout the year.
About NRF
The National Retail Federation passionately advocates for the people, brands, policies and ideas that help retail succeed. From its headquarters in Washington, D.C., NRF empowers the industry that powers the economy. Retail is the nation’s largest private-sector employer, contributing $5.3 trillion to annual GDP and supporting more than one in four U.S. jobs — 55 million working Americans. For over a century, NRF has been a voice for every retailer and every retail job, educating, inspiring and communicating the powerful impact retail has on local communities and global economies. nrf.com
About Prosper Insights & Analytics
Prosper Insights & Analytics is a global leader in consumer intent data serving the financial services, marketing technology, and retail industries. We provide global authoritative market information on U.S. and China consumers via curated insights and analytics. By integrating a variety of data including economic, behavioral and attitudinal data, Prosper helps companies accurately predict consumers’ future behavior to help identify market behaviors, optimize marketing efforts, and improve the effectiveness of demand generation campaigns. https://prosperinsights.com/
