The price of chocolate may be skyrocketing, but that hasn’t stopped Americans from dropping serious cash on Halloween candy, according to NBC News. Candy and gum are up 8.1% from a year ago. Still, the National Retail Federation projects Americans will spend $4.1 billion on sweets this season, part of $13.5 billion in total Halloween spending.
It may seem a bit batty, but for some it’s about giving kids the trick-or-treating experience they remember. Abby Mynatt, a 21-year-old college student in Tennessee, told NBC News she still remembers the thrill of getting Reese’s Cups. “I want to give that to some other children,” she said.
Chocolate is the biggest casualty of the season. PwC says Halloween chocolate now averages $5.67 a package, up 15.5%, partly because of extreme weather in cocoa hotbeds Ghana and Ivory Coast. Cocoa prices quadrupled between January 2023 and 2025 before cooling off, but not fast enough to spare shoppers the sticker shock. This year, it’s parents’ wallets getting tricked.
The price of chocolate may be skyrocketing, but that hasn’t stopped Americans from dropping serious cash on Halloween candy, according to NBC News. Candy and gum are up 8.1% from a year ago. Still, the National Retail Federation projects Americans will spend $4.1 billion on sweets this season, part of $13.5 billion in total Halloween spending.
It may seem a bit batty, but for some it’s about giving kids the trick-or-treating experience they remember. Abby Mynatt, a 21-year-old college student in Tennessee, told NBC News she still remembers the thrill of getting Reese’s Cups. “I want to give that to some other children,” she said.
Chocolate is the biggest casualty of the season. PwC says Halloween chocolate now averages $5.67 a package, up 15.5%, partly because of extreme weather in cocoa hotbeds Ghana and Ivory Coast. Cocoa prices quadrupled between January 2023 and 2025 before cooling off, but not fast enough to spare shoppers the sticker shock. This year, it’s parents’ wallets getting tricked.