How Many People Celebrate Halloween?
Ranking among the busiest shopping days of the year in the United States, Halloween is an event with the potential to drive significant sales. While not an official holiday, many—both young and old—take the time and effort to mark the occasion.
Businesses hoping to leverage this lucrative annual festival need to first get a feel for how popular October 31 is. This means knowing what percentage of adults take part in Halloween activities every year. In this post, we’ll take a deep dive into what percentage of Americans celebrate Halloween.
What percentage of Americans celebrate Halloween: top Halloween statistics
- In 2024, 72% of Americans celebrated Halloween, a decrease of one percentage point from 2023.
- Participation in Halloween festivities over the past 10 years hit a low of 58% in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Total Halloween spending in 2024 reached $11.6 billion, averaging $103.63 per person.
- Consumers spent $3.8 billion on Halloween costumes and decorations combined in 2024, making these the top expenditures. However, candy was the most popular item to purchase—95% of Americans reported buying candy, compared to 75% for decorations and 67% for costumes.
How many people in the US celebrate Halloween?
|
Year |
Percentage of Americans celebrating Halloween |
|
2014 |
67% |
|
2015 |
64% |
|
2016 |
69% |
|
2017 |
72% |
|
2018 |
70% |
|
2019 |
68% |
|
2020 |
58% |
|
2021 |
65% |
|
2022 |
69% |
|
2023 |
73% |
|
2024 |
72% |
How many people celebrate Halloween: 2014–2024
The latest Halloween statistics from the National Retail Federation show that, in 2024, 72% of Americans celebrated the event. This marked an annual fall of one percentage point. Despite fluctuations over the past decade, Halloween participation rates have generally remained robust, solidifying October 31 as a significant event in American culture and retail.
In 2014, around two-thirds (67%) of Americans reported celebrating Halloween. This rate saw a slight dip to 64% in 2015 before rebounding to 69% in 2016 and rising further to 72% a year later.
Participation rates experienced minor shifts over the next few years, falling slightly to 70% in 2018 and 68% in 2019. However, Halloween data from 2020 showed a significant decline due to the COVID-19 pandemic—participation rates fell by 10 percentage points year over year, to 58%. Social distancing measures and safety concerns impacted traditional Halloween activities, reducing the percentage of adults taking part in Halloween celebrations to its lowest point since 2005.
Halloween quickly rebounded as restrictions were lifted. In 2021, participation rose to 65%, regaining much of the previous year’s drop as revelers looked to return to normalcy. By 2022, participation had increased to 69%, and it continued to rise in 2023, reaching a peak of 73%—the highest level over the past two decades.
Halloween statistics 2024: high participation rates among 25- to 34-year-olds
The Halloween data also reveals that participation rates vary by age group. In particular, adults aged 25 to 34 demonstrated a strong inclination toward Halloween celebrations in 2024 compared to other age groups.
This year, 86% of adults in this age group participated in festivities—the highest rate across all age groups. More than half (56%) began shopping even before October, compared to 47% of all adults. At $124.43, the average per-person expenditure among those in this category was also around $20 more than that of the average consumer. According to experts, this suggests that adults in this age group view Halloween as an essential part of the fall season, rather than just a single holiday.