Skip to content
Sh*t Costs Too Much — a project of Defend America Action
All Research
Fact Sheethalloween

Sh*t Costs Too Much: Halloween

Halloween candy is up more than 15%, pumpkins cost 50% more than in 2020, and tariffs plus the war with Iran have turned trick-or-treating into a budget nightmare — with 40% of parents expecting to go into debt.

Fact sheet · October 2026
Fact Sheet

Sh*t Costs Too Much.

Fact sheet · October 2026

The topline

15.3%

Rise in Halloween candy prices over the past year — roughly four times overall inflation

$16.96

Cost of a 100-piece bag of Halloween candy, up 71% since 2021

40%

Of parents expect to take on debt to cover Halloween this year

This Halloween, sky-high prices are the only thing giving working families a fright. Halloween candy costs over 15% more than it did last fall, a jack-o’-lantern that cost $4 in 2020 now runs over $6, and apples are up more than 7% as the war with Iran drives up the fertilizer used to grow everything and the diesel that gets pumpkins out of the field and candy onto the shelf. Meanwhile, tariffs are taxing the costumes and decorations that come almost entirely from overseas, and candy giants are jacking up prices and pocketing the difference. For millions of families, making ends meet has gone from hard to impossible — and a quarter of the people celebrating this year expect to go into debt to do it.

Key points

  • Halloween candy prices are up 15.3% from last year, rising around four times the rate of inflation overall.
  • A 100-piece bag of Halloween candy now costs $16.96, up 71% since 2021 — with Sour Patch Kids and Swedish Fish up 39% and seasonal Reese’s cups up 23%.
  • The average Halloween pumpkin costs about $6.20 this year, up from roughly $4 in 2020, and apples are up 7.5% over the past year.
  • Costume prices have climbed for a third straight year, with the industry projecting the biggest jump yet this season, and 8 in 10 shoppers expect to pay more because of tariffs.
  • Hosting a Halloween party is pricier too: sweets are up 5.5% over the past year, soda is up 4.7%, juice and punch are up 3.3%, and beer is up 2.2%.
  • 61% of families say they are skipping purchases outright this Halloween, and 40% of parents expect to take on debt to cover what’s left.
  • Nearly three-quarters of Americans are very concerned about the price of food and everyday goods.

Core drivers

Tariffs are taxing the costumes and decorations that fill every Halloween aisle

Spirit Halloween reports that more than 90% of its seasonal merchandise is imported from China, and the federal government has taxed nearly every one of them with tariffs. The Halloween and Costume Association projects costume prices rising by about $60 this year, after a $50 increase in 2025 and $20 in 2024, and the NRF found that 79% of shoppers expect to pay more this Halloween specifically because of tariffs.

Working families are paying the bill, not China

Tariffs now cost the typical household more than $1,000 a year, and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York found that nearly 90% of the economic burden falls on American firms and consumers rather than foreign exporters.

The war with Iran is driving up the cost of growing and hauling everything, from pumpkins to apples

The war with Iran has sent oil prices and fertilizer prices through the roof. Diesel climbed to a record of more than $6.40 a gallon last month, up over 70% since the war began, and because diesel powers the tractors and trucks behind every Halloween purchase, that cost lands on all of it. With the fight over the Strait of Hormuz choking fertilizer supply, all eight major fertilizers cost more than a year ago as well, with anhydrous ammonia up 18% and urea up 13%. The average pumpkin is now about $6.20, up more than 50% from 2020, and apple prices are up 7.5% over the past year.

Candy giants are jacking up prices and pocketing the difference

Hershey, Mondelez, and Ferrero have raised Halloween candy prices by 19% to 39% this year, roughly four times the pace of overall inflation, and the money is landing straight on their bottom lines. Hershey’s gross profit margin rose to 45% in the second quarter from 30% a year earlier, and Mondelez’s climbed to 43% from 33%, while Hershey pocketed a $9 million tariff refund without passing a cent of it to customers.

Shrinkflation means less candy for the same money

The same candy budget now buys about 40% less than it did in 2020, and the BLS index for candy and chewing gum is up 7.7% over the past year, well ahead of grocery prices overall.

Every figure here is sourced and linked to public reporting, government data, and independent analysis.

More research.

View all