Trick? No, It’s a Treat: Spooktastic Halloween Facts Compiled (2021)

As October unfolds, the Halloween season draws nearer! Fall decorations start to come out and our enthusiasm builds up. And, we’re not the only ones who see Halloween as a treat. According to Candystore.com, 172 million Americans celebrate Halloween, with the projected spending for this year at a whopping $10 billion. That’s an all-time high and the first time that Halloween spending is predicted to surpass the $10-billion mark.

The spookiest holiday is a prime time for spending money, eating candy and dressing up, and what says Halloween more than pumpkins and jack-o’-lanterns. For instance, did you know that the heaviest pumpkin ever grown weighed 2,350 pounds? That’s more than the Liberty Bell! Imagine carving that one — it would definitely take more than 16 seconds, which is the current record for carving a jack-o’-lantern.

Dying for more trivia-worthy Halloween facts like these? Well, look no further, as we’ve compiled a graveyard full of spooky Halloween stats for you to fly through. Check out our infographic below and then find a fun treat at the end: the spookiest city names in the U.S.! How about Hell, Mich.? That seems like a fun place to be for Halloween, right?

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Spending

Americans allocate quite the budget to kick off the “dark half of the year.” Here’s what people usually splurge on:

• $10.14 billion is the projected consumer spending for Halloween-related items (according to NRF)
• People spent around $3.3 billion on costumes, $3 billion on candy (NRF), and $687 million on jack-o’-lanterns in 2020 (according to Statista)
• $103 is the average spent on costumes, candy, decorations and cards (per NRF)

Shopping

• 45% of consumers plan to start shopping for Halloween in September, whereas 39% do so during the first two weeks of October (NRF)
• 40% of consumers plan to shop in discount stores and 35% buy from specialty stores (NRF)
• 36% of consumers get their inspiration online, while 26% are inspired by retail or costume shops (NRF)

Candy

• 96% of people celebrating Halloween plan on purchasing candy, according to Candystore.com, and these are America’s favorite Halloween treats:

1. 1. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
   2. Skittles
   3. M&M’s
   4. Starburst
   5. Hot Tamales
   6. Sour Patch Kids
   7. Hershey’s Kisses
   8. Snickers
   9. Tootsie Pops
   10. Candy Corn

• UnReal Milk Chocolate Gems, Endangered Species Dark Chocolate Bites and Peanut M&M’s are the healthiest candy options (per Every Day Health)

Costumes

Here are the most popular costumes for all ages and pets (according to NRF):

• Younger adults are more likely to dress up their pets in a costume: 28% of those aged 18 to 24 plan to do so, as well as 30% of those aged 25 to 34 (NRF)

Jack-o’-Lanterns

• 2,350 pounds was the weight of the heaviest pumpkin to ever become a jack-o’-lantern. It was grown by Travis Gienger, according to Guinness World Records.
• 47 seconds is the fastest time to carve a pumpkin, which was achieved by Stephen Clarke (Guinness World Records)
• 30,581 pumpkins is the number of the most lit jack-o’-lanterns, which was earned by the City of Keene, N.H. (Guinness World Records)

Celebration

• 65% of people surveyed by NRF plan to celebrate Halloween this year.
• Top celebration plans include handing out candy (66%); decorating the home or yard (52%); and dressing in costumes (46%) (NRF)
• 25- to 34-year-olds are the most likely to celebrate Halloween of those aged 18 and older (NRF)
• New York’s Village Halloween Parade is the nation’s largest public Halloween celebration, which is attended by more than 2 million people (per the Village Halloween Parade)
• The most watched Halloween-themed TV show episode is The Simpsons’ “Treehouse of Horror” (per USDish)

Haunted Attractions

Did you know that many charities run spook shows? It’s good to know that you can get a scare and do some good at the same time. Talk about mixed feelings, right?

• There are more than 1,200 professional haunted houses; 300 theme parks with horror-themed events; and more than 3,000 charity-run spook shows in the U.S. alone (according to America Haunts)
• Dragon’s House of Horror, located in Albuquerque, N.M., is the longest walk-through horror house, measuring 7,183 feet (Guinness World Records)
• 15,458 participants is the number of people participating in the largest zombie gathering, which was organized by Zombie Pub Crawl in Minneapolis in 2014 (Guinness World Records)

Spookiest City Names in the U.S.

And finally, the promised treat.

Fancy a trip to Satan’s Kingdom, Mass.? Or, maybe you’d like to spend your Halloween night in Devil’s Den, Wyo. Check out these spooky city names that might make you wonder, “What happened here?”:

• Tombstone, Ariz.
• Kill Devil Hills, N.C.
• Slaughter Beach, Del.
• Hell, Mich.
• Red Devil, Alaska
• Dead Women Crossing, Okla.
• Cape Fear, N.C.
• Seven Devils, N.C.
• Devil’s Den, Wyo.
• Death Valley, Calif.
• Deadwood, S.D.
• Frankenstein, Mo.
• Skull Valley, Ariz.
• Satan’s Kingdom, Mass.
• Transylvania, La.

Sources for Halloween facts and stats: America Haunts, CandyStore.com, Every Day Health, Guinness World Records (1, 2, 3, 4, 5), Hershey, NRF, Statista, USDish, and Village Halloween Parade.

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