Americans to Spend $9B on Halloween: NRF

The National Retail Federation (Washington, D.C.) is forecasting that Americans will spend about $9 billion on Halloween this year, down only slightly from last year’s $9.1 billion spending record.

The predicted amount is the second highest in the history of the organization’s annual survey, which has spanned 14 years. Of planned spending, consumers reported that they would be spending an average of $86.79, a small jump from last year’s $86.13 average.

Consumers plan to spend the most on costumes, totalling $3.2 billion in spending; decorations were second at $2.7 billion; candy was third at $2.6 billion; and greeting cards represented $400 million.

NRF credits a good economy and high consumer confidence for the strong spending numbers. “Families are ready to spend on Halloween this year,” said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay.

Spending on pet costumes was a notable jump this year, up 4 percent with nearly 20 percent of respondents reporting that they would be purchasing costumes for their pets.