Halloween candy sales sluggish as shoppers face higher prices, affordability concerns

Halloween is next weekend but candy aisles aren’t emptying out at most stores as cost-conscious shoppers eye chocolate prices and balance affordability as they fill out their shopping lists. 

Big picture view:

Candy sales fell 6.7% in the month ending Oct. 17 compared with the same period last year, NielsenIQ, a market research firm, told the Associated Press.

Candy sales were down 11.7% in mid-September, which erased preseason gains that Halloween candy recorded during the last two years. 

Prices for candy and chewing gum rose 8.1% in August from a year earlier, according to the latest available data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That's more than double the 3.4% increase in overall consumer prices during the same period.

READ MORE: Top Halloween candies by state for 2026

What they're saying:

Two issues may be slowing the candy rush this year.

NielsenIQ Vice President Chris Costagli said high gas prices heightened affordability concerns this year.

"Some of the decisions they're making about Halloween candy, it’s not necessarily because, 'I notice it's more expensive than last year,' it's, ‘I can’t afford it this year because I've paid so much more for so many other things. I just don’t have the financial means to buy it this year,’" he said.

Through mid-October, it was only small bags of candy that showed sales growth, he said. Large and extra-large bags, however, saw the biggest sales declines, he said. 

But along with rising costs of multiple categories, candy prices are spiking, too. 

Candy and gum prices were up 44% over a five-year period as of September, according to government data. That’s in contrast to a rise in price of 22.5% for all food eaten at home. 

Cocoa prices, which reached a record high of $10,710 per metric ton in January 2025, had fallen dramatically by this past March, when they stood at $3,241 per metric ton. But the Iran war disrupted Africa’s fertilizer supplies combined with El Niño weather, which was expected to hurt production.

West Africa supplies 70% of the world’s chocolate supply. 

The other side:

Even with the higher prices, not everyone says "trick or treating" will go bust.

"People are very intentional and thoughtful about what they want to consume, not just for holidays, but in general," Sally Lyons Wyatt, a global executive vice president and food industry adviser for the market research company Circana, told the AP. "I do believe we will still see softness overall with candy, but I don’t think Halloween is doomed."

The National Confectioners Association, a trade group representing candy makers said it remains optimistic about Halloween sales. 

Last month, it projected Halloween candy spending would reach $4.1 billion. 

Overall, including candy, costumes and decorations, it projected spending on the holiday would reach $13.5 billion this year, beating last year’s record total of $13.1 billion. 

READ MORE: Here are 2026’s hottest Halloween costumes, as ranked by Google searches

 

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