It’s the spookiest time of the year, when superstition runs rampant and treats always come with the potential for a trick. But like with anything else, the more you know about Halloween, the less scary it seems. Did you know, for example, that ringing doorbells and lighting candles are thought to ward away witches, ghosts and evil spirits? And how frightening can haunted houses really be when charities operate 80% of them?
Even if you’re not prone to spooking, there’s always something interesting to learn about Halloween. For instance, 20% of people plan to put costumes on pets, and 86% of parents admit to stealing candy from their kids. And that’s just the beginning. To ease your fears and help you gain a new appreciation for this hallowed holiday, WalletHub explored a wide variety of facts about Halloween, analyzing the occasion from all angles.
Below, you can find an infographic filled with the best Halloween facts we could unearth. That’s followed by an Ask the Experts panel discussion on the economics of Halloween. And finally, you can see where your hometown ranks in our report on the Best Cities for Halloween.
10 Facts About Halloween for 2022:
- $10.6 Billion: Projected Halloween spending in 2022.
- $3.6 Billion: Halloween costume spending in 2022.
- $3.1 Billion: Halloween candy spending in 2022.
- 34% of parents think 13 or 14 is old enough to trick-of-treat alone.
- 67% of Americans plan to hand out candy to trick-or-treaters.
- 86% of parents admit to stealing candy from their kids.
- $5.82: Average retail price of a pumpkin (up 13% from 2021).
- $300+ Million: Annual revenue from ticket sales for haunted attractions, 80% of which are run by charities.
- $11 Million: Direct property damage caused by Halloween house fires each year.
- 72% of Americans say they would consider purchasing a haunted house to live in (but less than half would pay full market value for it).
Ask the Experts
For a different, more serious take on Halloween and the cottage industry that revolves around it, we posed the following questions to a panel of experts. You can check out their bios and responses below.
- What are the biggest Halloween money-wasters?
- What measures should parents take to ensure their kids are safe when trick-or-treating?
- What are some healthy treats or nontraditional goodies that kids might actually enjoy?
Ask the Experts
Ph.D. – Assistant Professor, Child, Youth & Family Studies, Nebraska Strong Families Lab – University of Nebraska–Lincoln
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Ph.D. – Centennial Commission Professor of Liberal Arts; Executive Director, Council on Contemporary Families, Department of Sociology & Population Research Center – University of Texas
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Ph.D., CFLE – Associate Professor of Human Development and Family Studies; Faculty Director- Child Study Center; Director- Certified Family Life Education Program, Dept. of Health & Human Sciences – University of Montevallo
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Professor of Economics at Brigham Young University
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Ph.D. – Associate Professor of Human Development and Family Studies – Michigan State University
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Ph.D., HSPP – Director, MA in Mental Health Counseling Program, Associate Professor of Psychology; Licensed Psychologist – Indiana University East
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