Americans hoping to celebrate Halloween by passing out candy to trick-or-treaters should expect to pay more this fall than in years past.
A new economic analysis by progressive economic policy think tanks Groundwork Collaborative and The Century Foundation (TCF), shared first with Scripps News, shows candy prices are up an average of 15% from last year, four times overall inflation.
American families are feeling price increases across the board, but they are going to be particularly acute in the candy aisle this year ahead of Halloween, Elizabeth Pancotti, Groundworks vice president of policy, told Scripps News.
Some products are seeing particularly dramatic cost spikes: a Sour Gummy Candy Variety Pack by confectionery giant Mondelz
International, for example, costs an average of $4.20 this fall, up 39% from $3.02 in 2025, while a pack of Seasonal Peanut Butter Cups by The Hershey Company will set buyers back $8.23 on average, up 23% from last year.
The Groundwork/TCF report relied on data showing average prices for the one-week periods ending October 3, 2026, and October 4, 2025, from NielsenIQ, a global consumer intelligence company.
Iran, tariffs and corporate profiteering
Experts say the surge in Halloween candy costs results from a confluence of factors.
Packaging costs are up substantially, as President Donald Trumps tariffs on foreign metals have increased aluminum prices and the Iran wars disruption of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has led to a surge in the price of petroleum-based products like plastic.
The packaging component is not the main cost, obviously, of producing a candy bar, but especially for Halloween, where all of the candy is individually-wrapped, it does add up pretty quickly, Pancotti said.
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And nearly all products that need to be shipped are seeing increases in transportation costs, as the price of diesel recently hit a record high.
Pretty much everything that gets to a store gets there because a diesel truck drove it there, so it only makes sense that you see this sort of knock-on effect throughout the range of prices that Americans are trying to make purchases on, and that includes our Halloween prices, said Kyle Moore, chief economist for TCF.
But though consumers may have grown accustomed to higher prices amid persistent inflation, the price of raw inputs for candy production actually decreased this year, unlike other grocery items and school supply staples that have seen similar cost increases in recent months.
Cocoa prices have fallen substantially from their 2024 peak, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, while wholesale prices of sugar and corn syrup are down by 10 percent and 4 percent respectively this year.
Those facts point to potential corporate profiteering by the companies making Halloween candy, the report alleges.
Corporations really had high input costs there for a couple of years, Pancotti noted, yet where we are seeing these costs come down, they are keeping prices high and profiting from those increased margins. Customers are totally reasonable to think that they should have cheaper candy this year, and unfortunately, I think the big candy makers are really keeping those prices high to pad their profit margins.
Moreover, several of the nations largest confectionery companies received multi-million dollar tariff refunds after Trumps emergency tariff authority was limited by the U.S. Supreme Court, and yet theyve continued to raise prices in many cases.
The new candy analysis specifically calls out Hershey, which received a $9 million tariff refund, and Mondelez, which received a $6 million refund, noting Hersheys gross profit margin in the second quarter of 2026 was up 30 percent compared to last year and Mondelezs up 33 percent.
It’s a kind of a vicious cycle, where prices rise due to some global event erratic trade policy, foreign policy things that happen in the environment, Moore said. Corporations realize that consumers are continuing to pay for those higher prices, they don’t drop those prices, and then consumers are kind of forced to find other ways to make that work.
Asked about those claims, a spokesperson for The Hershey Company defended the companys pricing in a statement to Scripps News, arguing the company has faced significant increases across ingredients, packaging, manufacturing and transportation, including unprecedented cocoa costs over the past several years and were measured in how we responded and did not pass the full impact of those higher costs on to consumers.
More than 75% of our U.S. confection portfolio is available for less than $4, and we offer products across a variety of sizes, formats and price points so consumers can choose what works for their budget and occasion, the statement added. Even when consumers are more selective with their spending, they continue to prioritize small, joyful moments and traditions like Halloween that bring families, friends and communities together.
Representatives for Mondelez International did not respond to an inquiry about its candy pricing decisions or overall economic situation.
Strategies to save
Americans hoping not to break the bank when preparing for Halloween this year have few options.
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Experts suggested researching candy prices before heading to the store to compare different sellers. Given the high quantities of candy needed for trick-or-treating, they also recommended shopping at bulk retailers like Costco or Sams Club as potential ways to save.
With candy costs elevated, families should look for ways to save elsewhere perhaps by making kids costumes at home or reusing those from last year, as costs for store-bought costumes are up this year. Even homemade costumes could be more costly, though; in light of Trumps tariffs on Canadian imports, toilet paper costs are on the rise, so a DIY mummy might cost more in 2026 than it did last year.
One thing experts do not recommend: taking on extra debt to finance Halloween celebrations.
A recent study by LendingTree found one-quarter of Americans expected to take on debt to celebrate the Halloween holiday, including 40% of parents with children younger than 18.
Folks aren’t getting the income that they deserve, they’re not getting their due, and they’re finding a way to make it work regardless and that’s the use of credit, Moore said. At some level, folks are going to hit credit limits, and then you’re looking at a real crunch situation. So you really want to avoid that happening.