Scary Stat: Halloween Spending May Drop 16%

Halloween spending has been creeping up in recent years (Covid years notwithstanding), with adult participation in trick-or-treat activities helping drive the trend – think spooky house displays as elaborate as Christmas ones.

But according to at least one just-released survey, spending on Halloween activities will fall precipitously this year, as a U.S. population spooked by economic uncertainties and the scary state of international relations these days pulls back.

That’s the conclusion of LendingTree’s 2026 Halloween spending survey of 2000 U.S. consumers, which found eight in 10 Americans (80%) plan to make a Halloween-related purchase this year, down from 90% last year, while those celebrating expect to spend an average of $162 – down 16% decline from 2025.

The pullback is not universal, the survey results show . Nearly four in 10 celebrators (38%) expect to spend more than last year, rising to 58% among parents with children younger than 18. Meanwhile, 85% of celebrators say they’re taking at least one step to save money this Halloween, including buying fewer items overall and setting a spending budget.

Similar signs of caution: economic uncertainty is leading 61% of Halloween celebrators to skip some purchases, most often candy, decorations and costumes. Even with those cutbacks, nearly one in four celebrators (24%) expect to take on debt for the holiday, with Gen Zers and parents of children younger than 18 among those most likely to borrow.

Note: As reported previously, the widely watched National Retail Federation survey on Halloween spending is calling for such expenditures to edge up this year, to $13.5 billion.