Whether they're a pumpkin, a dragon or a horse with a wildly bucking cowboy, America's two great obsessions -- dogs and Halloween -- are coming together for 2026. Turns out, pooch parents are expected to spend nearly $1 billion on Halloween costumes this year.
Dog owners are embracing the Halloween spirit with a wide variety of costumes, including Krypto the Superdog, Pupasaurus Rex, Power Rangers, and Chucky. A classic still comes through, though, as a pumpkin is the No. 1 costume you'll see this year on a pet.
A new survey by the National Retail Federation found that Halloween spending will top $13.5 billion this season, and about $1 billion of that will go toward costumes for pets. Even with the war in Iran, an affordability crisis, stagnant wage growth and fears about AI job takeovers, we're spending cash on Halloween costumes for pets.
This years $1 billion on pet costumes is up from $860 million in 2025 and $700 million in 2024.
A report from last year even found that nearly 1 in 3 pet owners, or 32%, reported spending more on their pet's costume than on their own.
Halloween spending breaks down into about $115.14 per person in the U.S., which is in line with $114.45 per person in 2025. But the retail federation noted people "remain mindful of costs and are taking a strategic approach to their Halloween purchases."
About 31% say they will comparison shop for Halloween supplies, while 26% say they will look for coupons or sales.
https://nrf.com/media-center/press-releases/nrf-halloween-survey-shows-consumer-spending-expected-to-reach-13-5-billion National Retail Federation data chart.
National Retail Federation data chart. https://nrf.com/media-center/press-releases/nrf-halloween-survey-shows-consumer-spending-expected-to-reach-13-5-billion
But there's always room for creativity.
When it comes to pet costumes, Halloween Adventure Store on 4th Avenue in Manhattan told the New York Post they're selling out of Pupasaurus Rex costumes.
“People love the dinosaur for their dogs,” said sales associate Tiffany. “It’s a cute little costume. After that, we’ve been selling Power Rangers and the third costume that I’ve seen selling a lot is Chucky.”
