Scary stats and fun facts for Halloween 2010

24.3 pounds: Americans consumed, on average, 24.3 pounds of candy per person in 2009. Candy consumption was down to 23.8 pounds per capita in 2008, but apparently the prolonged recession didn’t weaken the American sweet tooth for long, and consumption bounced back up in 2009. The lowest average during the decade was in 2001 at 23.6 pounds per capita. (And we wonder why there's an obesity epidemic?)

18 percent: Nearly one in five adults (18%) claims to have seen or been in the presence of a ghost, according to survey results released today from the Pew Research Center.

366,000 little ghouls and goblins: 366,000 is the estimated number of potential trick-or-treaters (children age 5-13) in San Diego County in 2010, up 5,000 from 2009. Of course, many other children — older than 13, and younger than 5 — also go trick-or-treating. The national estimate is 36 million potential trick-or-treaters in the United States in 2009. That number is up 190,000 from a year earlier.

1.07 million doorbells to ring: In 2010 San Diego trick-or-treaters have roughly 1.07 million households to choose from when asking for candy. San Diego accounts for approximately 1 out of every 100 homes in the United States. The U.S. estimate is 111.3 million in 2009.

1 billion pounds: In 2009 there were one BILLION pounds of pumpkins produced in the United States, according to the USDA. California accounted for more than 100 million pounds of pumpkins grown in 2009. San Diego County’s pumpkin growing, however, is relatively low. In 2009 the county grew 4,400 tons of squash, which includes, but is not limited, to pumpkins.