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| Source: Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health |
A BOOming INDUSTRY:
There were an estimated 41.1 million potential trick-or-treaters (children age 5-14*) in the United States in 2015, roughly the same as in 2014.
But Halloween is clearly not just a children's holiday. 171 million Americans of all ages will be celebrating Halloween this year (up nearly 10% from last year), with total spending reaching more than $8.4 billion.
The average American adult will spend $83 on decorations, costumes and candy, up considerably from $74 last year, and above the previous peak of $80 per person in 2012.
For those who will dress up to celebrate the holiday:
The most popular children's costume: Superhero! (knocking princess from the top spot after an 11-year reign).
Sources: National Retail Federation and U.S. Census Bureau, Facts for Features
*Note: Of course, many other children - older than 14, and younger than 5 - also go trick-or-treating.
TERRIFYING TREATS:
America's candy consumption in 2010 was nearly 25 pounds per person. If this candy were entirely Snickers bars, it would be the equivalent of nearly 4 candy bars, per week, per person. The volume of candy consumed, much like home prices, peaked in the middle of the decade, dipped at the start of the recession in 2008, and increased slowly each year since then. Another scary fact is that 2010 is the last year for which we'll have this data. Budget cuts led to the termination of the Current Industrial Reporting program.American confectionery manufacturers produce about 35 million pounds of candy corn each year. That adds up to 9 billion candy corns - or about 30 kernels per person in the U.S.
For Halloween itself, Americans purchase nearly 600 million pounds of candy, spending nearly $2.6 billion for treats to hand out to trick-or-treaters.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Industrial Reports, Confectionery: 2010; National Confectioners Association; Daily Infographic 2011 and 2012
