Halloween is one day away, and millions of Americans will dress up as their favorite characters as well as their own creation. Trick-or-treating is a popular Halloween tradition, as children go door-to-door in search of candy from their neighbors.
Those children will likely come knocking, but they could come home with less of a candy haul this year. New data on cocoa and chocolate manufacturing shows that the cost of Halloween candy is up across the board.
Personal finance website FinanceBuzz says a 100-count bag of assorted Halloween candy that cost $9 five years ago now costs $16.
Cocoa Prices Affecting the Candy Industry
Cocoa prices are to blame for the inflated price of chocolate, as climate change and poor harvest conditions have led to the half-million ton global cocoa deficit.
Cocoa prices have declined recently, but they soared exponentially from 2020 through 2025. Metric tons of cocoa typically traded at around $2-3,000, but peaked at around $10,000 this year.
Most of the chocolate we currently see on the shelves was produced at that peak price, and the cost has been passed to the consumer.
“Manufacturers had no choice but to raise prices just to break even,” said Wells Fargo Agri-Food Institute sector manager David Branch.
Branch says that the price increases are also affecting non-chocolate candy, as candy manufacturing has generally risen by around 37%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Consumers React to Rising Costs
“People are feeling it,” coupon content creator Kiersti Torok told NBC News. Torok, who has nearly four million followers, posts money-saving tips on her social media account.
“The Walgreens candy deal I do every year used to be about $1.50 a bag. This year, it ended up being $2.50 a bag.”
Torok noted that chocolate deals – think Hershey’s, Reese’s peanut butter cups and KitKat bars – cost twice as much as last year, discouraging her from including them in her videos.
“I didn’t share that option because I was like, man, that is really crazy outrageous.”
The National Retail Foundation estimates that 73% of Americans are planning to celebrate Halloween this year, and that nearly all of them are planning on buying candy. The holiday is expected to generate $13.1 billion in sales this year, with nearly $4 billion spent on candy alone.
“People still want their little pick-me-up,” Branch said. We’ll see if the added cost of Halloween candy has an impact on how Americans choose to celebrate this year.
