Has Halloween candy gotten more expensive? Here’s what the historical data shows
Two-thirds of Americans say they plan to hand out candy this Halloween.
Two-thirds of Americans say they plan to hand out candy this Halloween.
Two-thirds of Americans say they plan to hand out candy this Halloween.
Two-thirds of Americans say they plan to hand out candy this Halloween, according to the National Retail Federation’s annual survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics.
Halloween participants will spend a record-breaking $3.9 billion on candy this year, up $400 million from last year, the survey found.
So are Halloween celebrators buying more candy, or have goodies gotten pricier over the decades? The Get the Facts Data Team analyzed the prices of three classic Halloween candies trick-or-treaters would have found in their bags through the decades using newspaper archives.
Click on the candy items below to see how the prices have changed throughout the years.
How did we compare candy prices?
The archival search was limited to the month of October, and the lowest available prices for the candies were recorded. To calculate what the cost of the candy was from one time period to another, the data team used the Consumer Price Index for the month of October from 1964 to the present day. CPI measures the average price change for items like groceries, housing and consumer goods.
Candy bag sizes changed throughout the decades, so to fairly compare candy prices across the decades, the data team calculated how much an ounce of candy cost based on its original price, then determined what that would equal for a 16-ounce bag.
An 11-ounce bag of candy corn priced at $1.66 may seem cheaper than a 16-ounce bag at $1.99. The 11-ounce bag comes out at about 19 cents per ounce, while the 16-ounce is closer to 15 cents.
Are candy prices up?
The price of a 16-ounce bag of candy corn was 39 cents in 1964. To adjust for inflation, that amount was divided by the CPI for October 1964 and then multiplied by the current CPI. In today’s dollars, that same bag of candy corn would cost $3.45. Last year, the bag sold for $2.99.
The price of candy corn has increased by 806% from 1964 to 2024. But from 2019 to 2024, the treat’s price saw a slight 1% increase after adjusting for inflation.
Among the three candies analyzed, Hershey’s Kisses experienced the largest price increase. In 2019, a 16-ounce bag was priced at $2.65, or $3.34 after adjusting for inflation. By last year, the candy sold for $5.48, roughly 69% higher than in 2019.
Today, a 16-ounce bag of Hershey’s Kisses rings up at $6.24, up about 14% from last year. Candy corn is up 31% and Tootsie Roll Pops are up 29% over the same period.