Updated: October 24, 2022

Regardless of how one feels about Halloween, it is always interesting to take note of current trends as a barometer of how cultural norms and tastes have changed from previous eras.

Before sharing what has changed, we need to point out that Candy Corn forever remains the most polarizing of all Halloween candy. We appreciate Candy’s Store take on the often misunderstood sweet, which we believe puts the iconic candy in proper perspective.

To satisfy our own curiosity, we searched for various stats, surveys, trivia and trends to assess the state of Halloween and its “hallo” of the macabre in the year 2022. Here’s what we found.

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Halloween Consumer Trends & Stats

Halloween is the second largest commercial holiday after Christmas. Shopping periods for both Halloween and Christmas continue to expand, overtaking larger display space in retail stores. For example, if you visited any big box hardware store this weekend, you would have noticed that the Christmas season in the home improvement space was in full swing.

For industry stats pertaining to Halloween shopping most, if not all, media outlets cite the same source: The National Retail Federation (NRF). Here are highlights from their 2022 Halloween report.

69%

Percentage of US Consumers Planning to Celebrate Halloween: 69%

Over two-thirds of American consumers plan to celebrate Halloween in 2022. This is an increase of 6% from 2021 consumer participation of 65%, and just 4.2% shy of the height of celebrations in both 2012 and 2017, where that number was 72%.

$10.6B

The total estimated amount that US consumers will spend on Halloween in 2022. This is 5% greater than last year’s record of $10.1B spent in 2021.

Breakdown of US Consumer Spending on Halloween

  • Candy: $3.1B, 96% of Shoppers
  • Costumes: $3.6B, 67% of Shoppers
  • Decoration: $3.4B, 75% of Shoppers
  • Greeting Cards: $0.6B, 39% of Shoppers

Most Popular Halloween Activities

  • Handing Out Candy: 67%
  • Decorating the House or Yard: 51%
  • Wearing a Costume: 47%
  • Carving Pumpkins: 44%
  • Hosting or Attending a Party: 28%
  • Dressing Up Pets: 20%

82%

The percentage of US Households with Children that celebrated Halloween in 2021.

55%

The percentage of US Households without Children that celebrated Halloween in 2021.

Additional Halloween Metrics from Other Sources

73.1M

The number of total potential US Trick-or-Treaters, estimated by number of children under age 18 in 2020 from the US Census.

$1.7B

The estimated dollar amount to be spent on Halloween costumes for adults, projected to rise a healthy 13.3% in 2022 to $1.7B versus spending in 2021 at $1.5B.

1,200

The estimated number of professional Haunted Attractions in the US according to AmericaHaunts.com. They also list that there are 300 theme parks that operate horror-themed events and over 3,000 charity-run “spook shows”.

100

The approximate number of countries that celebrate Halloween according to AmericaHaunts.com.

843

The number of formal wear and costume rental establishments in the United States as of 2019 according to the US Census.

3,320

The number of US confectionery and nut stores in 2020, according to the US Census.

1/4

The portion of ALL candy sold annually in the U.S. that is purchased for Halloween, according to History.com.

$490M

The amount Americans spent on costumes for their pets in 2019, which was more than double what they spent in 2010, according to History.com.

 

Halloween Homeowners Insurance Scares

 

The 4 Most Common Horrors for Homeowners on Halloween

November 1st is a very busy day for insurance adjusters. The four most perilous horrors for homeowners during Halloween night are:

  1. Unexpected Fires
  2. Vandalism or Theft
  3. Injuries on Your Property
  4. Dog Bites

The good news is that all of these types of incidents are covered under most standard insurance policies.

When Violent Crimes Most Occur on Halloween

According to EMC Security, statistically, most violent crimes occur between 7 pm and 1 am, peaking at 10 pm – the times also favored by trick-or-treaters on Halloween.

 

Beware of Real Estate Non-Disclosures

 

9

The number of states that have laws around the disclosure of a death on the property:

  • California requires disclosure if the death occurred within 3 years of the sale
  • Alaska requires disclosure within 1 year of the sale
  • South Dakota requires discloser of homicides only
  • The following states require disclosure only if asked: Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, New Hampshire, New Jersey and South Carolina

4

The number of states that specifically mention paranormal activity in their real estate disclosure laws: Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey and New York.

  • Massachusetts and Minnesota both declare that paranormal activity is unnecessary to disclose
  • New Jersey requires disclosure only if asked by prospective buyers
  • New York requires that sellers must disclose only if they had previously disclosed activity publicly

The Ghostbusters Ruling

A New York state ruling from 1991 that ruled in favor of an out-of-town homebuyer that the seller failed to disclose a ghost. The buyer was allowed to back out of the contract and was returned the down payment. Locals knew about the home’s haunted reputation. In fact, the original owner of the disputed house had previously advertised it as a haunted attraction for paranormal enthusiasts. However, this knowledge was not widely known outside of the local community.

Also see:

 

Halloween Trivia

 

30,581

The number of lit jack-o’-lanterns on display by the town of Keene, New Hampshire that set the Guinness world record in October 2013.

Home Haunters

The nickname given to Halloween enthusiasts who create Halloween attractions at home simply for the love of it.

Also see:

 

Halloween Homeowner Resources

 

More Recommended Entertaining-at-Home Articles

 

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