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In fact, the same budget from 2020 will now buy 40% less candy then it did six years ago, according to new research from\xa0<a href="https://investorsobserver.com/research/research-the-same-easter-budget-now-buys-40-less-candy-than-in-2020/">InvestorsObserver</a>.', '_version': 2, 'componentVariation': 'paragraph'}, 'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cmn0yz8du000e01wg4aqabpyr@published'}, {'data': {'text': '<iframe width="100%" height="500px" frameborder="0" src="https://player.amperwavepodcasting.com?&feed-link=https%3A%2F%2Frss.amperwave.net%2Fv2%2Ffeed%2Faudacy%2F038cfb9d8e736df990fff07df895b73b&theme=blurred&playerDisplay-download=false&playerDisplay-logoType=Audacy&playlistDisplay-playlistDownloads=false" allow="clipboard-write"></iframe>', 'isIframe': True, 'componentVariation': 'html-embed', 'fbInstantArticleHtml': '<iframe width="100%" height="500px" frameborder="0" src="https://player.amperwavepodcasting.com?&feed-link=https%3A%2F%2Frss.amperwave.net%2Fv2%2Ffeed%2Faudacy%2F038cfb9d8e736df990fff07df895b73b&theme=blurred&playerDisplay-download=false&playerDisplay-logoType=Audacy&playlistDisplay-playlistDownloads=false" allow="clipboard-write"></iframe>'}, 'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/html-embed/instances/cmn0z13av001t357xanm6nc20@published'}, {'data': {'text': 'That means that that shoppers will have to fork over more than the $93 budget they had in 2020 to get the same amount of candy as they prepare for the holiday coming up on April 5. It also “confirms what families have felt, that money isn’t stretching the way it used to,” IvestorsObserver added.', '_version': 2, 'componentVariation': 'paragraph'}, 'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cmn0z7yut0035357x75crjhje@published'}, {'data': {'text': 'To determine American consumers’ buying power more than halfway through the decade compared to the start, InvestorsObserver tracked five popular Easter candy brands that sold well on Instacart in 2024. These were: Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs, Cadbury Mini Eggs, Hershey’s Milk Chocolate, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, and Cadbury Creme Eggs.', '_version': 2, 'componentVariation': 'paragraph'}, 'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cmn0z8fqu003c357xirwamzyq@published'}, {'data': {'text': 'InvestorsObserver tracked prices for the candies using Target.com and the Wayback Machine. It found that steady, incremental increases have raised prices slowly, in a way that consumers might not even realize. At the same time, it said that some brands also reduced the size of their products but kept prices the same or higher –\xa0<a href="https://www.audacy.com/kdkaradio/news/national/heres-why-people-are-shooting-videos-of-chipotle-workers" class="rm-stats-tracked">a phenomenon known as “shrinkflation.”</a>', '_version': 2, 'componentVariation': 'paragraph'}, 'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cmn0z8fqv003d357xkpco2jiq@published'}, {'data': {'text': '“The pattern held across brands: steady, incremental changes that consumers absorbed without recognizing the total impact,” InvestorsObserver said.', '_version': 2, 'componentVariation': 'paragraph'}, 'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cmn0z8fqv003e357xpgmx7jch@published'}, {'data': {'text': 'Shoppers have increased their Easter budgets over time as well, but not nearly enough to cover the rise in costs. According to the study, budgets have only increased by around 15%, while costs shave shot up by 67%.', '_version': 2, 'componentVariation': 'paragraph'}, 'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cmn0z8fqv003f357xsvymmlpt@published'}, {'data': {'text': '“It’s the classic boiling frog scenario that actually shows up in groceries year-round. You don’t jump out of the pot because the water heats up one degree at a time. Each individual increase feels tolerable – annoying, maybe, but not catastrophic. So you adjust. By the time you realize how hot the water has gotten, you’ve already lost significant purchasing power,” explained Sam Bourgi, senior analyst at InvestorsObserver.', '_version': 2, 'componentVariation': 'paragraph'}, 'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cmn0z8fqv003g357xjsmklvwj@published'}, {'data': {'text': 'Let’s take things to the cash register to get a clearer idea of the change. Back in 2020, Easter candies ranged from $3.49 to $3.99, per the InvestorsObserver data. It said those prices held with a general $4 cutoff reference point for prices that was shattered this year when prices climbed to $4.79 to $8.29.', '_version': 2, 'componentVariation': 'paragraph'}, 'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cmn0z8fqv003h357xblr99ysg@published'}, {'data': {'text': 'So, when you walked up to the counter to pay for Hershey’s Milk Chocolate bars in 2020, they would have cost $3.99 per bar, the study said. Today, they cost $8.29.', '_version': 2, 'componentVariation': 'paragraph'}, 'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cmn0z8fqv003i357xdtslrqc5@published'}, {'data': {'text': 'Prices do tend to go up with time. However,\xa0<a href="https://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm" class="rm-stats-tracked">the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ inflation calculator estimates</a>\xa0that $3.99 in 2020 would have the same buying power as $5.09 today. Last summer, Audacy did report that\xa0<a href="https://www.audacy.com/wccoradio/news/national/hershey-company-is-raising-candy-prices-heres-why" class="rm-stats-tracked">Hersey’s was planning to increase its prices due to increasing cocoa costs</a>.', '_version': 2, 'componentVariation': 'paragraph'}, 'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cmn0z8fqv003j357x69r2ikbr@published'}, {'data': {'text': 'Another brand, Cadbury Mini Eggs, went for the “shrinkflation” method and made its candy 1 ounce smaller without changing the price, InvestorsObserver said.', '_version': 2, 'componentVariation': 'paragraph'}, 'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cmn0z8fqv003k357x6znv0tuy@published'}, {'data': {'text': '“That’s how this happened without anyone noticing. Not because shoppers weren’t paying attention. Because the increases were designed – intentionally or not – to fly under the radar of how people track spending: in total dollars, not in what those dollars actually buy,” explained Bourgi.', '_version': 2, 'componentVariation': 'paragraph'}, 'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cmn0z8fqv003l357xg4vj2zzu@published'}, {'data': {'text': 'Data shows that prices aren’t expected to fall to their former prices. InvestorsObserver said that consumers now have to be more skeptical and vigilant about pricing.', '_version': 2, 'componentVariation': 'paragraph'}, 'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cmn0z8fqv003m357xxcxf5hty@published'}, {'data': {'text': '“The numbers add up to real dollars lost, and show how American families are giving up purchasing power,” it said. Easter candy might be a small, novel example, but the data applies to other costs as well.', '_version': 2, 'componentVariation': 'paragraph'}, 'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cmn0z8fqv003n357xa4nz07z5@published'}, {'data': {'text': 'Audacy reported this week that oil prices are going up<a href="https://www.audacy.com/wccoradio/news/national/food-prices" class="rm-stats-tracked">due to the war in Iran</a>, a situation that could cause food prices to spike higher as well. 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2020's Easter budget gets you 40% less candy this year

By Lauren BarryMar 21, 2026

Lauren Barry

Lauren Barry is a Chicago-based news content producer for Audacy’s central news team. She is the host/co-producer of The On Deadline Podcast, as…

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Since the start of the 2020s, prices for Easter candy have crept up. In fact, the same budget from 2020 will now buy 40% less candy then it did six years ago, according to new research from InvestorsObserver.

That means that that shoppers will have to fork over more than the $93 budget they had in 2020 to get the same amount of candy as they prepare for the holiday coming up on April 5. It also "confirms what families have felt, that money isn't stretching the way it used to," IvestorsObserver added.

To determine American consumers' buying power more than halfway through the decade compared to the start, InvestorsObserver tracked five popular Easter candy brands that sold well on Instacart in 2024. These were: Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs, Cadbury Mini Eggs, Hershey's Milk Chocolate, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, and Cadbury Creme Eggs.

InvestorsObserver tracked prices for the candies using Target.com and the Wayback Machine. It found that steady, incremental increases have raised prices slowly, in a way that consumers might not even realize. At the same time, it said that some brands also reduced the size of their products but kept prices the same or higher – a phenomenon known as "shrinkflation."

"The pattern held across brands: steady, incremental changes that consumers absorbed without recognizing the total impact," InvestorsObserver said.

Shoppers have increased their Easter budgets over time as well, but not nearly enough to cover the rise in costs. According to the study, budgets have only increased by around 15%, while costs shave shot up by 67%.

"It's the classic boiling frog scenario that actually shows up in groceries year-round. You don't jump out of the pot because the water heats up one degree at a time. Each individual increase feels tolerable – annoying, maybe, but not catastrophic. So you adjust. By the time you realize how hot the water has gotten, you've already lost significant purchasing power," explained Sam Bourgi, senior analyst at InvestorsObserver.

Let's take things to the cash register to get a clearer idea of the change. Back in 2020, Easter candies ranged from $3.49 to $3.99, per the InvestorsObserver data. It said those prices held with a general $4 cutoff reference point for prices that was shattered this year when prices climbed to $4.79 to $8.29.

So, when you walked up to the counter to pay for Hershey's Milk Chocolate bars in 2020, they would have cost $3.99 per bar, the study said. Today, they cost $8.29.

Prices do tend to go up with time. However, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' inflation calculator estimates that $3.99 in 2020 would have the same buying power as $5.09 today. Last summer, Audacy did report that Hersey's was planning to increase its prices due to increasing cocoa costs.

Another brand, Cadbury Mini Eggs, went for the "shrinkflation" method and made its candy 1 ounce smaller without changing the price, InvestorsObserver said.

"That's how this happened without anyone noticing. Not because shoppers weren't paying attention. Because the increases were designed – intentionally or not – to fly under the radar of how people track spending: in total dollars, not in what those dollars actually buy," explained Bourgi.

Data shows that prices aren't expected to fall to their former prices. InvestorsObserver said that consumers now have to be more skeptical and vigilant about pricing.

"The numbers add up to real dollars lost, and show how American families are giving up purchasing power," it said. Easter candy might be a small, novel example, but the data applies to other costs as well.

Audacy reported this week that oil prices are going updue to the war in Iran, a situation that could cause food prices to spike higher as well. Under the stressful economic conditions, 42% of Americans in a recent YouGov poll also said theycould see a total economic collapse in the future for the U.S.

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