Inflation Eats up Increase in 2022 Halloween Spending

Data from the National Retail Federation has found that some $10.6 billion will be spent on Halloween in the United States this year, whether that’s in the form of nightmarish costumes, spooky decorations for the house, or candy for trick-or-treaters. Compared to 2021, this is an increase of about half a billion U.S. dollars, showing how consumer spending patterns are steadily back on track after a comparatively quiet Halloween in the pandemic year of 2020.

Yet as our chart shows, while expenditure was up in 2021, when taking inflation into account, it is actually expected to be down in 2022. Where Halloween spending hit 7.9 billion U.S. dollars in 2021, once adjusted for inflation, it will likely hit closer to 7.7 billion in 2022.

While Halloween originated in Ireland, a highly commercialized and lucrative version of the tradition has been widely embraced in the U.S., with around seven in 10 adults saying they would be celebrating Halloween this year, whether that’s through dressing up, pumpkin carving, or going out at trick-or-treating.