The economics of Halloween 2026: $13.5 billion, costumes, candy and pets – what the NRF survey measures

On 22 September 2026 the National Retail Federation (NRF), the US retail trade association, published its annual Halloween survey. It says Americans plan to spend $13.5 billion on the holiday this year, more than the 2025 record of $13.1 billion. This article looks at what the numbers show and how the survey was made.

Source: NRF, 22 September 2026; summary: CPA Practice Advisor.

AI illustration (artist's depiction).

Total spending rose about 3% in a year (from $13.1 billion to $13.5 billion). Spending per person rose only about 0.6%, from $114.45 to $115.14. This is our own simple arithmetic from the NRF's figures.

Part of the gap may come from more people taking part, or from population growth. According to the NRF, 74% celebrate, against 73% a year ago and 68% in 2019. A one-point change sits inside the ±1.1-point margin of error, so on its own it does not prove growth. The gap against 2019 is much larger.

Source: NRF.

Almost everyone buys candy, but the most money goes on costumes. Costume spending splits into adults $2 billion, children $1.5 billion and pets $0.92 billion.

Chart based on the sources linked in this article.

The NRF projected the answers onto national numbers:

Source: NRF.

• Discount stores: 39%
• Halloween and costume specialty stores: 32%
• Online: 27%
• Local and small businesses: 13% (7% in 2016)

49% plan to start shopping in September or earlier, about the same as last year. In 2016, 34% shopped before October.

32% look for costume ideas through online search, down from 37% a year ago. According to the survey, 47% use AI tools for Halloween shopping: 34% to brainstorm ideas while planning and 32% to get recommendations while researching products. Phil Rist, executive vice president of strategy at Prosper Insights & Analytics, said AI is becoming an increasingly common part of the shopping journey.

AI illustration (artist's depiction).

Source: NRF.

Prosper Insights & Analytics collected the data from 1 to 9 September 2026, asking 7,889 US consumers. The margin of error is ±1.1 percentage points.

What does that mean? If 74% of respondents say they celebrate, the true share for the whole population is very likely between 72.9% and 75.1%. The spending figures are plans: they measure what people intend to spend, not what tills finally record.

1. Pet costumes cost almost a billion dollars. The NRF puts them at $0.92 billion, about a fifth of all costume spending.
2. The top pet costume is a pumpkin. It leads the NRF list with 11.6%, ahead of the hot dog (5.9%).
3. Local small shops nearly doubled their share. 7% shopped there in 2016, 13% in 2026.
4. Greeting cards are back. The share buying them rose from 38% to 42% in a year.
5. Candy is the most common purchase, not the most expensive one. 96% buy candy, yet they spend less on it ($4.1B) than on costumes ($4.4B) or decorations ($4.3B).

• The NRF expects $13.5 billion in US Halloween spending in 2026.
• $115.14 per person, barely more than last year; 74% celebrate.
• The biggest item is costumes ($4.4B); the most common purchase is candy (96%).
• The figures are plans, from a 7,889-person survey with a ±1.1-point margin of error.

Related reading: Blog archive.

Educational content. Not investment advice. Data Analytic Investments is not affiliated with the National Retail Federation, Prosper Insights & Analytics or the portals cited; character and brand names of costumes (e.g. Spider-Man, Batman) are used only to quote the survey and belong to their owners. Illustrations marked "AI illustration" are not photographs.