Halloween Candy Prices Jump 78% Since 2020

The bag of Halloween candy by your door now costs $16.39 - a whopping 78% more than the $9.19 you paid back in 2020. This jump is way above the overall national inflation rate of 25% during this time.

The biggest price jumps happened recently. Between 2023 and 2025, candy prices went up by $4.78 - much more than the small $1.30 bump from 2020 through 2022. Prices went up $2.45 last year, then another $2.34 this year.

Candy-loving Americans spent $4.1 billion on Halloween treats in 2024. The typical family shelled out $31 on candy. When you add in costumes and decorations, total Halloween spending hit $13.1 billion.

The main reason for these price hikes is a major cocoa shortage. This essential chocolate ingredient now costs $12,500 per metric ton - twice what it did in early 2024. Production fell sharply worldwide, dropping 25% in Ivory Coast and 31% in Ghana, leading to a 12.9% global shortage.

The chocolate market keeps growing even with high prices. U.S. sales went from $20.3 billion in 2020 to $30 billion in 2025. Despite costing more, Halloween candy sales grew 2.2% to reach $7.4 billion in 2024.

Experts checked prices at big stores like Walmart and Target, looking at bulk mixed candy bags. They looked at least 25 different packages each year, mainly bags with about 137 pieces.

Shoppers have mixed feelings about the higher prices. While half say they'll spend less on Halloween because of inflation, and 79% think prices will go up more from tariffs, candy is still what they buy most for Halloween.

Experts think candy spending will rise 11% to $3.9 billion this year, up from $3.5 billion in 2024. This growth continues even though 19% of people say they're buying less because prices are high.

Total Halloween spending for 2025 should reach $13.1 billion - up 13% from last year. This increase across everything Halloween shows people are still ready to spend despite higher prices.

Read more about this comprehensive study.