Typical Halloween Spending Habits
Here’s how much the typical person spends on Halloween…
Halloween is the third biggest party night of the year behind New Year’s Eve and St. Patrick’s Day– but goes virtually unnoticed in most other parts of the world. Officially, Halloween is the sixth-largest U.S. holiday in terms of spending, a drop in the bucket compared to the $474.5 billion expected to be spent during the Christmas and Hanukkah seasons.
A recent survey conducted by Visa Inc. shows that 73% of Americans celebrate Halloween and spend an average of $40 on candy and decorations. Halloween celebrators are decorating the inside as well as the outside of their homes to achieve the perfect “themed” environment and opting for more elaborate costumes. It’s not older, affluent parents driving this surge in spending, but a growing number of 18 to 34 party-goers.
Halloween Spending Habits:
- - Parents without children under the age of 18 will spend $32
- - Parents with children will spend $54. Men tend to spend more than women.
- - Men ($46) who celebrate Halloween report spending $12 more than women ($34).
- - Younger people ($44) say they spend more than those 55 and over ($31).
- - Those who live in rural areas ($49) spend $10 more on average than people living in urban areas ($39) and $13 more than suburbanites ($36).
Many parents just send their kids down the street for trick-or-treating, but a growing number host their own parties for kids and adults. Schools and municipalities plan community events, parties and parades. “It just keeps getting bigger and bigger each year,” one U.S. party planner says. But the growth comes at a price. Although retail revenues benefit, many consumers find themselves deep in the red by January.
