Overview

• NRF/Prosper’s Sept. 2–9 survey of 8,045 adults forecasts $13.1 billion in 2025 Halloween purchases, with per-person spending at a record $114.45 and category totals of $4.3B for costumes, $4.2B for decorations, $3.9B for candy, and $0.7B for greeting cards.
• Seventy-three percent of respondents plan to celebrate, and 79 percent expect higher prices this season due to tariffs.
• Discount stores are the leading destination for Halloween items, with preference rising to 42 percent from 37 percent last year, according to NRF’s Katherine Cullen.
• Retailers report tariff-linked cost increases and delays on imported goods, with costume tariffs roughly 5%–19%; a Texas shop owner is absorbing some surcharges but raised a fog machine from $58 to $74.
• Price trackers show notable candy increases, including fun-size bags up about $5 year over year and 48-count full-size bar boxes now over $50 versus about $40 last year, prompting some shoppers to buy earlier.