Halloween candy sales are off to a slow start due to high chocolate prices and affordability concerns.

Halloween candy sales are off to a slow start this year as U.S. consumers grapple with a high cost of living and sky-high chocolate prices.

Halloween candy sales fell 6.7% in the month ending Oct. 17 compared to the same period last year, according to NielsenIQ, a market research company. Nielsen also noted an 11.7% decline in candy sales in mid-September, erasing the preseason gains that Halloween candy had enjoyed in the previous two years.

Chris Costagli, vice president and food thought leader at NielsenIQ, said high gas prices have compounded Americans’ concerns about affordability, dampening demand for Halloween treats. As of Friday, the average price of a gallon of regular gasoline in the United States was $4.29, up nearly 40% from a year earlier.

“I think what you’re seeing now is a consumer spending a lot of extra money on fuel, housing, clothing and food,” Costagli said. “Some of the decisions they make about Halloween candy, it’s not necessarily because ‘I notice it’s more expensive than last year,’ but more like ‘I can’t afford it this year because I paid so much more for so many other things. I just don’t have the financial means to buy it this year.'”

Small candy bags were the only sizes to see sales growth through mid-October, Costagli noted. Large and extra-large bags saw the biggest declines.

Candy prices in the United States have been rising faster than the rate of inflation for several years. As of September, candy and gum prices had increased 44% over a five-year period, according to government data. Prices of all foods consumed at home increased by 22.5% during the same period.

This week, discount grocer Aldi was advertising a 135-piece variety pack of Mars Inc. candy bars — including Milky Way, Trix and Snickers — for $19.87. That’s almost the same price consumers paid five years ago for a 250-piece variety pack.

Cocoa prices are the main culprit. Global cocoa prices hit a record high of $10,710 per metric ton in January 2025 due to bad weather in West Africa — which supplies 70% of the world’s chocolate — and speculative trading in the cocoa futures market, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Since then, cocoa prices have continued to decline and reached $3,241 per tonne in March. But they began to climb again in the spring when the war in Iran disrupted fertilizer supplies to Africa. The El Niño weather phenomenon is also expected to harm production, with hot and dry conditions expected until February.

But Costagli stressed that even in cases where prices are lower than last year, consumer demand remains moderate. The average price of non-chocolate Halloween candies, like gummies and lollipops, was $6.08 per pound in the nine weeks ending Oct. 17, about 3% lower than last year, according to Nielsen data. But this did not lead to an increase in sales.

Sally Lyons Wyatt, global executive vice president and food industry advisor for market research firm Circana, said U.S. consumers are coping with rising food prices by making smaller, more frequent trips to the supermarket and purchasing products just before they intend to use them. That makes him wonder if shoppers are waiting until closer to Halloween to buy candy this year.

“People are very intentional and thoughtful about what they want to consume, not just for the holidays, but in general,” she said. “I think we’ll still see some sweetness with candy, but I don’t think Halloween is doomed.”

The National Confectioners Association, a trade group that represents candy makers like Mars, Smarties Candy Co. and Ferrara Candy Co., said it remains optimistic about Halloween sales.

“We are just entering the peak period for Halloween and consumer enthusiasm remains incredibly strong,” the group said in a statement on Friday.