Halloween Spending Hits Record $13.5 Billion: 47% of Celebrants Used Super Intelligence (SI) for Costume Ideas
Halloween keeps getting bigger in the United States. The National Retail Federation's annual survey, released in September, projected total Halloween spending of $13.5 billion in 2026, a record high. Some 74% of consumers planned to celebrate, with average per-person spending of $115.14 — both above 2025's $13.1 billion, 73% and $114.45.
The money went mainly to three things. Costumes led: 71% of celebrants planned to buy one, for $4.4 billion in spending, including $2 billion on adult costumes and $1.5 billion on children's. Decorations followed at $4.3 billion, bought by 78% of celebrants, and candy at $4.1 billion, bought by 96%. Spending on greeting cards reached $800 million, with 42% buying. Pets got their share too: $920 million on pet costumes, up from $860 million last year.
Among costumes, witches ranked first for adults (about 4.8 million people), followed by vampires (about 4.2 million) and Batman (about 2 million). Spider-Man topped the children's list, and pumpkin topped the pet list. Google's Frightgeist ranking, based on growth in search interest, put Buddy the Unicorn, from the horror film "Buddy," at No. 1. The lists use different methods and do not agree.
The new twist this year was how people found ideas: 47% of consumers used super intelligence (SI) platforms for Halloween shopping inspiration, while online search remained the top source of costume ideas at 32%. Discount stores were the top shopping destination, at 39%.
Candy cost more, too. Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price data show the candy and gum price index rose 7.7% in September 2026 from a year earlier.
The survey was conducted for NRF by Prosper Insights & Analytics from September 1 to 9, 2026, among 7,889 U.S. consumers; the spending figures are pre-holiday projections.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 资料图：孩子们装扮成超级英雄和小猫参加社区讨糖活动（美国海军陆战队Cherry Point航空站，美国海军陆战队官方图，公共领域）
