Halloween season is here and American consumers are ready to treat themselves and others.
A new report from the National Retail Federation shows Americans are expected to spend a near-record amount to make this year's celebrations memorable.
Total Halloween spending is expected to reach $11.6 billion, after last year's record-setting $12.2 billion, according to the NRF's annual survey, conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics.
Seventy-two percent of consumers plan to celebrate Halloween this year, and they'll be spending an average of $103.63 a piece, about $4.62 less than last year's record of $108.24.
Of course, you can't have Halloween without the treats. Handing out candy is the top activity of the season, with 67% of survey respondents planning to participate. Not surprisingly, candy is expected to be the top spending category, bringing in an estimated $3.5 billion.
Decorations are also another top item among those celebrating Halloween, the survey shows, with 52% decking their home and yard in spooky decor, 43% planning to carve pumpkins and 29% throwing a party. Total spending on decorations is expected to reach $3.8 billion.
And to the heart of the season: costumes. The survey shows 49% of people are planning to dress up this Halloween, and total spending on costumes is projected to reach $3.8 billion.
It's not just kids dressing up, either. Spending on adult costumes is expected to reach $1.8 billion, while spending on children's costumes is anticipated to hit $1.3 billion. Our four-legged friends are also getting in on the fun, with spending on pet costumes expected to reach $700 million.
As for what people are dressing up as, the classics reign supreme. The survey shows 2.6 million children plan on dressing up as Spider-Man, 1.8 million as a ghost, 1.7 million as a princess, 1.6 million as a witch and 1.5 million as their favorite superhero. Among adults, 5.8 million plan on dressing up as a witch, 3 million as a vampire, 1.6 million as a cat, 1.5 million as Batman and 1.4 million as a pirate, according to the survey. Popular costumes for pets include a pumpkin (10%), hot dog (6%), bat (4%), ghost (3%) and bumblebee (3%).
The survey asked 7,945 consumers about their Halloween shopping plans and was conducted Sept. 3-8, 2024.