Boo! Halloween candy prices are even scarier this year

It’s Halloween season again, and Americans are being haunted by high candy prices for yet another year. A new study has found that they’re up more than 15.3%, and Audacy has been reporting on the price creep for years.

In 2024, we reported that shrinkflation had hit candy bags. Last year, we reported on the impact of rising cocoa costs and President Donald Trump’s tariffs. This April, we also reported on changes to products from the beloved Reese’s brand that won’t kick in until next year, though not specifically about its Halloween offerings.

“The scariest thing Americans face this Halloween won’t be a haunted house, but price tags in the candy aisle,” said The Century Foundation, a progressive think tank, in a report released Tuesday. “New analysis from Groundwork Collaborative and the Century Foundation finds Halloween candy prices up 15.3% -- a staggering four times overall inflation.”

According to the last Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index report before Halloween, issued on Oct. 14, inflation increased in September by 0.6%. For the 12-month period ending in September, inflation increased by 3.7%. In an effort to tame inflation, the Federal Reserve Bank increased interest rates last month.

The Century Foundation pointed to Trump’s polices – including tariffs and his decision to have the U.S. engage in war with Iran in February – as one of the reasons why candy prices are going up. War with Iran has resulted in blockades of the Strait of Hormuz, an important transportation route for oil, and thus increased gas prices in the U.S. and around the world. For much of 2026, national gas prices per gallon have been higher than $4, per AAA data.

When gas prices increase, it becomes more expensive to transport goods like candy and consumers can end up paying for those costs. Tariffs on goods from foreign countries like the ones Trump has imposed likewise can act like a tax on U.S. consumers.

“To make matters worse, price hikes come as families reel from ghoulish cuts to healthcare and food assistance programs, thanks to Trump’s budget law,” The Century Foundation said. “There is simply no more wiggle room: 40% of households with young children plan to take on debt in order to cover this year’s Halloween costs,” it added, citing Lending Tree data.

Previously, Audacy has reported on affordability being a major issue for voters ahead of the midterm elections, and how at least one poll showed that people are not impressed with how the president has been handling the economy. Still, research from Deloitte released in September showed that Americans still plan on spending this Spooky Season.

“Most retail shoppers expect to match or exceed last year’s Halloween spend, budgeting for an average of $285 per household,” Deloitte said. “And most of these shoppers say they can comfortably afford their planned Halloween celebrations.”

Overall consumer spending on Halloween is expected to reach $13.5 billion this year, according to the National Retail Federation’s annual consumer survey, conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics. That figure would exceed last year’s record $13.1 billion spending level.

Survey results from candy company Ferrero show that consumers do love Halloween and Halloween candy even as prices rise. These results showed that 75% of survey respondents said Halloween is an opportunity to enjoy candy without guilt and 73% plan to buy candy even if they don’t expect trick-or-treaters.

As they peruse the candy aisle this year, Halloween consumers should expect to find that candy variety packs have “shudder-inducing” prices, the Century Foundation warned.

Prices for chocolate from Ferrero (maker of Butterfinger, Crunch, Baby Ruth, and 100 Grand) and Hershey (maker of KitKat, Reese’s, and Heath bars) are both up 19%, with pumpkin shaped treats from Hershey up one-fourth more than they were last year. Prices for gummy candies from Mondelez (maker of Sour Patch Kids and Swedish Fish), Hershey (maker of Jolly Ranchers and Twizzlers), and Wrigley (maker of Skittles and Starburst) have surged 39%, 21% and 17.4% respectively.

“Candy lovers could have caught a break this year. While extreme weather in West Africa – where 70% of the world’s cocoa is grown – ravaged crops and sent cocoa prices upward in 2023 and 2024, cocoa prices have fallen by more than half from their 2024 peak,” said The Century Foundation. “Furthermore, wholesale prices of sugar have fallen by 10% and corn syrup 4% over the past year. But, thanks to corporate profiteering, consumers will continue to face high prices in the candy aisle.”

It also said that “price decreases and last year’s tariff exemption on cocoa should have provided some relief for consumers,” but that “companies chose to keep sticker prices high and pocket the savings for themselves instead,” citing the fact that Hershey’s gross profit margin reached 45% in the second quarter of this year. That’s up from 30% a year ago “with the help of a $9 million tariff refund that never made its way to customers.”

Hershey isn’t the only candy company with growing margins. The Century Foundation noted that Mondelez saw gross profit margins jump to 43%, up from 33% a year earlier. According to the foundation, “high consolidation in the candy market allows these corporate giants to increase prices without taking much of a hit on sales,” because consumers are left with few options.

Since many consumers are still dedicated to celebrating Halloween with sweet treats, they are coming up with ways to deal with the pressure of these high prices, like comparison shopping, hitting discount stores buying fewer items and starting their shopping early.

“With consumer sentiment sunk to the second-lowest level ever recorded—lower than at any point during the Great Recession – this Halloween season is shaping up to be full of more tricks than treats,” The Century Foundation said. “As families navigate inflated prices and declining wages, many have stretched their wallets to the limit.”