Halloween Spending Hits Record $13.5B as Season Stretches to Weeks
Omaha, Neb. – September 29, 2026 -- Halloween shopping has stopped being a one-night errand, with 49% of shoppers starting in September or earlier and total U.S. spending on track to hit a record $13.5 billion this year, according to the National Retail Federation.
The average celebrant will spend $115.14, and decorations alone account for $4.3 billion of the total. Retailers point to a simple shift: 74% of Americans now celebrate Halloween, and the holiday has expanded from a single evening into a season that includes early yard decorating, school parties in mid-October, church or neighborhood trunk-or-treats, and door-to-door candy on the 31st.