M&M’s … SweeTarts … Butterfinger … Snickers … what is better than Halloween candy? For Americans, maybe just some costumes and decorations to go with it. That is according to the National Retail Federation’s annual Halloween Spending Survey, conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics.
The survey indicates that a total of 179 million Americans plan to dress up and celebrate Halloween this year. And total U.S. spending on the holiday is expected to rocket to $9.1 billion, up 8.3% from last year. Of that total, $3.4 billion is expected to be spent on costumes, $2.7 billion on candy and an additional $2.7 billion on decorations.
With consumer confidence in the U.S. at its highest level in 10 years, the uncertain state of the economy does not seem to be scaring Halloween revelers, and U.S. consumers are expected to spend an average of $86.24 on Halloween this year, up 3.9% from $82.93 last year. Interestingly, men spend an average of $20 more than women on the holiday every year, according to the NRF.
Continuing the trend seen in recent years, discount stores are expected to be the top Halloween shopping destinations this year. Some 47% of survey respondents said that they will visit a discount store to shop for Halloween items this season, while 38% said that they expect to shop at specialty Halloween and costume stores.
Top Shopping Destinations for Halloween Items, 2017
Speaking of costumes, some 59% of those surveyed said that they find inspiration for their Halloween costumes on social media. According to the NRF, the top five costumes for adults this year are witch, character from Batman, animal, pirate and Marvel superhero. For kids, the top five costumes this year are action hero/superhero, Batman character/princess (tied), animal, Spider-Man and Star Wars character.
Top Sources of Inspiration for Halloween Costumes, 2017
In terms of Halloween candy, Americans’ favorite kind varies by state. Marketing firm Influenster surveyed more than 40,000 of its users in 2015 to see which Halloween candy was most popular in each US state. The survey revealed that while candy corn is the most popular Halloween treat across the country, New Yorkers particularly like SweeTarts and those from Connecticut and Rhode Island prefer Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Meanwhile, residents of Mississippi and Missouri are sweet on Hershey’s Kisses.
The most important thing to remember this Halloween is to have fun and stay safe. Oh, and to be sure to floss come November 1.
