About How Much Money Is Spent on Halloween Costumes Each Year?
In 2024, Halloween candy sales reached an impressive $3.5 billion, as consumers stocked up on treats for the festive occasion. That said, candy isn’t the only product driving total Halloween spending, which amounted to $11.6 billion in 2024. Costumes have long been a key part of Halloween celebrations, as revelers enjoy dressing up for parties, events, and trick-or-treating.
With costumes being one of the most popular Halloween items, how much money is spent on Halloween costumes each year? Here, we’ll explore Halloween costume spending data from recent years to understand its role in the broader Halloween economy.
How much money is spent on Halloween costumes each year: total expenditure
|
Year |
Total annual expenditure on Halloween costumes |
|
2014 |
$2.8 billion |
|
2015 |
$2.5 billion |
|
2016 |
$3.1 billion |
|
2017 |
$3.3 billion |
|
2018 |
$3.2 billion |
|
2019 |
$3.2 billion |
|
2020 |
$2.6 billion |
|
2021 |
$3.3 billion |
|
2022 |
$3.6 billion |
|
2023 |
$4.1 billion |
|
2024 |
$3.8 billion |
How much money is spent on Halloween costumes each year?
According to the latest report from the National Retail Federation, annual Halloween costume spending has generally risen over the past decade, with total expenditures reaching $3.8 billion in 2024. For context, total costume expenditures were $2.8 billion in 2014, a difference of $1 billion. Spending rose significantly, to $3.1 billion in 2016 and $3.3 billion in 2017.
Over this period, the percentage of Americans purchasing Halloween costumes has remained relatively consistent. Ranging from 64% to 69%, this means that roughly two-thirds of Americans purchase costumes for Halloween every year.
The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 temporarily impacted Halloween costume spending, with total expenditures falling to $2.6 billion as social distancing measures were implemented. However, as restrictions eased, spending bounced back quickly, reaching $3.3 billion in 2021—an annual surge of 27.9%. Costume sales continued to rise and peaked at $4.1 billion in 2023, marking a record high for the past decade.
How much money is spent on Halloween costumes each year: per-person expenditure
|
Year |
Per-person expenditure on Halloween costumes |
|
2014 |
$29.26 |
|
2015 |
$27.33 |
|
2016 |
$31.03 |
|
2017 |
$31.73 |
|
2018 |
$31.26 |
|
2019 |
$31.05 |
|
2020 |
$29.90 |
|
2021 |
$33.59 |
|
2022 |
$33.75 |
|
2023 |
$36.84 |
|
2024 |
$33.92 |
Taking a closer look at per-person spending on Halloween costumes, we see that in 2014, the average American spent around $29.26 on costumes, with expenditures largely increasing each year. By 2017, per-person costume spending had reached $31.73.
The pandemic once again played a role in 2020, but unlike total spending, per-person expenditures on Halloween costumes remained relatively stable, dipping only slightly by 3.7%, to $29.90. As Halloween celebrations returned to normalcy in 2021, per-person spending rose to $33.59 and continued climbing to a peak of $36.84 in 2023. Although this figure dipped slightly to $33.92 in 2024, it remains significantly higher than a decade ago.