The economics of Halloween: By the numbers

The weeks leading up to Halloween is a key period for retailers. Still one month out from Black Friday, the spooky holiday is a last chance to drum up sales between the slow summer months and the all-essential holiday season. So how will the related industries — from pumpkin farmers, to chocolate factories, to costume stores — fare this year? The National Retail Federation put together some stats on how Americans are planning to spend. Here, Halloween's most important numbers:

$6.9 billion

Amount Americans will spend on Halloween in 2013

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

$8 billion

Amount Americans spent in 2012

55

Percent increase in Halloween spending from 2005

$75.03

The average amount each American will spend on the holiday this year

542 million

Pounds of pumpkins harvested in Illinois this year

2,032

Pounds California farmer Tim Mathison's world-record-breaking pumpkin weighed

$5

Average cost of a carving pumpkin in the U.S.

$15

Average cost of a carving pumpkin in New York City

$2.8 billion

Amount Americans will spend on candy

$1 billion

Amount expected to be spent on children's costumes

$1.2 billion

Amount Americans will spend on adult costumes

$2,000

The cost of the eight-foot tall vampire costume Exmortis Stalkaround

$52.46

The cost of a sexy pizza costume

70

Percent of 18- to 24-year-olds who plan to dress up this year

65

Percent of those in their late-20s and early-30s who will do the same

52

Percent of millennials who will dress like animals, according to a survey by New York City-based ooVoo, a social video chat provider

27

Percent from the same survey who plan to dress as pop culture icons

22 million

Americans who will dress up their pets

$330 million

Amount Americans will spend on costumes for their four-legged friends

25.2

Percent of Americans who are reeling in their Halloween spending because of the economy

35

Percent from that group who are cutting back in the candy department

8

Percent from that group who are skipping candy altogether