Deceive or cheat.
As 74% of Americans prepare for a spooky season, new research warns Halloween candy shoppers to prepare for another scare: horribly high prices.
A recent Finance Buzz study found that the cost of filling the candy bowl has soared 71% since 2021, more than triple the national inflation rate of 22%.
Researchers analyzed wholesale prices for Halloween candy at four major supermarkets — Walmart, Target, Kroger and Albertsons — from 2021 to 2026, comparing price increases to annual inflation rates and calculating the average cost per piece.
For perspective, a bag of 100 assorted Halloween candies costs an average of $16.96 this year, up 3.5% from last year and $7.05 over the past 5 years.
Recent price increases represent a significant portion of the overall increase.
Between 2023 and 2026, the cost of a 100-piece bag of candy jumped $5.05 ($2.45 in 2024, $2.34 in 2025, and $0.57 in 2026), compared to just $1.70 between 2021 and 2023. Overall, Halloween candy inflation over the past three years has was almost triple that of the previous two years.
Per unit, each candy now costs a customer around 17 cents.
In New York, candy customers are ready to buy even more.
A bag of 75 pieces of Halloween candy at Target in Times Square costs $20.68, or 28 cents per piece, meaning Gothamites are paying more for less candy.
Elsewhere in Times Square, price gouging continues: a 100-piece variety pack costs $23.40 at CVS, and a 150-piece assortment at Walgreens costs $30.
One explanation for the spike in Halloween candy prices is the cost of cocoa, which has risen sharply in recent years due to environmental factors and supply problems in Ghana and Ivory Coast, reaching a record high of $12,000 per tonne in 2024.
In addition to volatile cocoa prices, other key ingredients have increased.
While sugar has fallen, vegetable oil, a controversial alternative to cocoa butter, has risen along with labor, energy, packaging and transportation costs.
Experts note that the plastic packaging that wraps most candy, including chocolate, is made from petrochemicals derived from oil and natural gas.
Experts predict Americans will spend a record amount this year for the spooky season, with consumer spending expected to reach $13.5 billion.
As war rages in the Middle East, packaging makers have warned that “unprecedented disruptions” in resin supplies may have led to higher prices.
Some experts in the field of candy consumerism — aka cash-strapped parents on the Internet — have already shared some key strategies for your holiday budget.
Health-conscious people are opting for less sinful sweet treats, like this bag of 100 honey sticks for $20, putting the unit price at 20 cents, or a salty snack like bags of pumpkin and bat-shaped pretzels, a pack of 70 of which costs just $25, or 35 cents per piece.
Using a Sharpie marker, the tangerines make a perfect facsimile of a jack-o-lantern. A 3-pound bag of tangerines (like Halos or Cuties) contains about 30 fruits and usually costs between $5 and $7.
Themed trinkets are creative, sugar-free alternatives: A 500-pack of glow sticks is $26, a 100-pack of Halloween crayons is $19, and 300 glow-in-the-dark temporary tattoos are a steal at $7. Spider rings, plastic vampire fangs and glow-in-the-dark bouncy balls are also staple gifts, ranging from $5 to $8 for bags of more than 100 pieces.
Budget-conscious shoppers can also create a “choice bowl” by mixing a small amount of traditional candy with a large amount of inexpensive toys or glow sticks, and inviting children to choose one item.
Gn bussni
