The Economics of Halloween

(CLICK – IF YOU DARE – TO ENLARGE IMAGE)

Join the Crowd – Buy Candy at Halloween!

If you‘re like most Americans, you snatch up those giant bags of candy the week before Halloween to appease trick or treaters. So many people do this that the few days before Halloween account for $2 billion in candy sales. No wonder every store is packed with candy during that time!

What else are we spending our billions on during Halloween? Click on the graphic to find out. You‘ll see how much we spend on costumes – even more than we spend on candy! – and how much we spend on our cards and decorations. Those paper skeletons and plastic pumpkins certainly add up!

How Much Candy Do You Eat?

You may feel like you don‘t eat much candy, eating a piece here and there throughout the year and a little more during Halloween. Sure, most people feel that they don‘t eat much candy, but the numbers show something completely different. How many pounds of candy does the average American eat each year? Click on the graphic and get ready to face your candy vice. Chances are that you eat a lot more than you think!

King Candy Corn!

Candy corn is one of those universal Halloween candies that are everywhere during the season. Whether you love them or hate them, they probably get you thinking about fall and Halloween. How much do Americans love them? They are the top-selling Halloween candy. That love runs pretty deep- Americans eat 20 million pounds of candy corn every year. To find out the rest of the top five Halloween candies, click on the graphic and take a look. You‘ve got to see what‘s number 2! You may be surprised… You‘ll also find out exactly what types of houses to go to in order to get one of the top 10 treats.

Chocolate or No Chocolate?

There are just two kinds of candies out there- chocolate and non-chocolate. If you crave only the non-chocolate candies, well, you‘re weird. Americans overwhelmingly love their chocolate. Most of the money spent on candy is for chocolate candies. That means that, no, you‘re not strange if you divide those Halloween candy hauls into the chocolate and “other” category.

Weird Taffy Candies – Ick

Every Halloween, those weird wrapped taffy things show up in candy bowls and in Halloween candy bags. Those are the most despised candies in America. Though it‘s preferable to throw that money into a storm sewer and watch it float away, millions of people are really buying those things with the intention of spreading them around at Halloween. How much do Americans spend on those things? You‘re not going to believe it…