Halloween isn't just for kids anymore
Once upon a time, Halloween was all about kids and while that's still true, adult participation is growing year over year. According to the NRF, Roughly 55% of households without children planned to celebrate Halloween in 2023 (up from 49% back in 2022). Annual spending on adult Halloween costumes was also predicted to be around $1.5 billion.
The most popular Halloween candy is ...
Are you ready for this one? According to research by YouGov, the most popular Halloween candy is (drum roll, please) M&Ms! Reese's Peanut Butter Cups come in a close second. Interestingly enough, their findings show kids ages 8 to 14 prefer the two in reverse order. Go figure! Here is the most popular Halloween candy for adults, ranked:
M&Ms (original)
Reese's Peanut Butter Cup
Kit Kat
Peanut M&Ms
Butterfinger
Snickers
Twix
Milky Way
Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bar
Reese's Pieces
There are millions of trick-or-treaters
In 2023, the U.S. Census estimated that there would be upwards of 41 million trick-or-treaters between the ages of five and 14. And, as of 2020, the number of potential stops for those trick-or-treaters was a whopping 126.8 million. That’s a lot of candy.
The most-Googled costume is a witch
Classic Halloween costumes never go out of style. Here are the most popular children’s Halloween costumes in 2023 (in order), according to Google:
Witch
Spiderman
Dinosaur
"Stranger Things"
Fairy
Pirate
Rabbit
Cheerleader
Cowboy
Harley Quinn
Clown
Candy corn has been around since the 1800s
Originally dubbed “Chicken Feed,” candy corn became popular once the Goelitz Company took over production in the late 1800s. Love it or hate it, the sugary-sweet treat became a Halloween staple in the 1950s.
The White House was first decorated for Halloween in 1958
Mamie Eisenhower decorated the White House for Halloween for the first time. She decked out the State Dining Room in twinkle lights, shocks of dried corn, jack-o'-lanterns, and autumnal flower arrangements for lunch for wives of staff members. Things took a spooky turn outside the dining room, though Black cats, owls, witch heads, and goblins hung from chandeliers in the foyer.
Americans spend more than $100 on Halloween
And it's not going down anytime soon. In 2022, the National Retail Federation estimated that Americans would spend an average of $100 on costumes, candy, decorations, and greeting cards — just short of last year's estimate of $103. Spending is expected to increase across the board, except spending on greeting cards is taking a slight dip this year. Looks like we're going digital this Halloween then!
Halloween generates billions of dollars
Around $10 billion, to be exact. The most recent survey from the National Retail Federation predicted that Halloween would generate $10.6 billion in 2022, up from 10.14 billion in 2021. Costumes account for most of that, with kids and adult costumes expected to exceed $2.9 billion.
Trick-or-treating took off in the 1930s
Lisa Morten, author of “Trick or Treat: The History of Halloween,” said the first official mention of trick-or-treating as a Halloween activity in the U.S. was published in the November 1939 issue of "American Home" magazine.
Americans love pet Halloween costumes
According to the National Retail Federation, one in five people planned to dress up their pets for Halloween in 2021.
The most popular pet Halloween costumes in 2023 are as follows:
Pumpkin
Hot dog
Bat
Bumblebee
Witch
It wasn't always called "Halloween"
There are several theories about the origin of the word “Halloween.” According to the Oxford English Dictionary, "Halloween" stems from “All Hallow’s Eve.” However, in 1773, the Scottish began calling it, “Hallow-e’-en.” Then, a few years later, poet Robert Burns put the words together in the poem titled “Halloween” and we’ve been writing it that way ever since.
Everyone loves candy (like a lot)
So many Halloween activities, so little time! In 2022, the National Retail Foundation said that passing out candy was the most popular way to spend Halloween— and understandably so. Other common ways that people celebrate include:
Decorating their home or yard
Dressing up in costume
Carving pumpkins
Throwing or attending a party