How much candy do people eat on Halloween? How many kids go trick-or-treating? What should be on your playlist for your Halloween party? We put together The Ultimate Guide to Halloween Statistics Infographic to answer all these questions and more, including the best scary movies to watch, the history of trick-or-treating, and just what costume to pick for 2011. Read at your own risk!
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The Ultimate Visual Guide to Halloween Statistics Transcript
Trick-Or-Treating by the Numbers
- 41 million potential Trick-or-Treaters (Kids in U.S. ages 5-14)
- 85.78 million households giving out candy
Hot Costumes for 2011
- Popstar
- Pirates
- Mario
- Star Wars
- Captain America
- Wonder Woman
- Angry Birds
- Harry Potter
- Smurfs
- Monster High
How Much People Spend on Costumes
- $1.21 Billion (Adults' costumes)
- $1 Billion (Kids' costumes)
- $310 Million (Pets' costumes)
The Best (And Worst) Places for Trick-Or-Treating
Key:
◊ —Best Places
∅ —Worst Places
- City of Falls Church, VA ◊
- Richest County with $113,313 median household income according to 2010 US Census data
- Minot, ND ∅
- 26 Degrees last Halloween night
- San Francisco, CA ◊
- Best City for Walking designated by Prevention Magazine
- Plano, TX ◊
- Safest City according to Forbes magazine
- St. Louis, MO ∅
- Highest Violent and Property Crime Rates according to 2009 FBI data
How Many Treats We Actually Eat
- 1.2 Pounds (How much candy the average American eats on Halloween)
- That's the Equivalent of...
- 33 Fun-Size Snickers
- 56 Fun-Size Twix
- 127 Starburst
- 280 M&Ms
- That's the Equivalent of...
Celebrating Halloween
How Americans Are Planning to Celebrate Halloween
- 34.3% Throw or attend a Party
- 73.5% Hand out candy
- 47.8% Carve a pumpkin
- 32.9% Take children trick-or-treating
- 49.5% Decorate home or yard
- 43.9% Dress in costume
Entertainment Ideas
Make a Playlist
- Billboard—Most Played Halloween Songs of 2010
- Thriller (Michael Jackson)
- Monster Mash (Bobby "Boris" Pickett)
- Ghostbusters (Ray Parker, Jr.)
- Werewolves of London (Warren Zevon)
- Highway to Hell (AC/DC)
- Billboard—Most Played Halloween Songs of 2010
Rent a Classic
- Highest Grossing Horror Franchises of All Time
- Saw— $415.9 million
- Friday the 13th— $380.6 million
- A Nightmare on Elm Street— $370.5 million
- Scream— $332.7 million
- Halloween— $308.5 million
- Highest Grossing Horror Franchises of All Time
Turn on the TV
- This is the 45th year that It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown will air.
Curl Up with a Scary Book!
- For Kids: The Goosebumps series by R.L. Stine is an all time best-selling series (more than 350 million books sold.)
- For Adults: Award-winning author Stephen King has published 63 books that have also sold about 350 million copies total.
- A Dark Matter by Peter Straub was the Horror Writers Association's most recent winner of the Bram Stoker Award.
Heaviest Pumpkin: 1810 lbs.
Guinness World Record set in 2010 by Chris Stephens in Stillwater, MN
The Modern History of Trick-Or-Treating
From Its Origins as "Guising" in Europe to the Adoption of the Term "Trick or Treat" in the U.S.
1895—Scotland
Record of children guising on Halloween. They dressed in costumes, carried lanterns, and collected treats.
1911—Ontario
First record of guising in North America.
1919—Massachusetts
Process like trick-or-treating described in Ruth Edna Kelly's book, Hallowe'en in America.
1927—Alberta
Earliest recorded use of term "trick or treat."
1939—United States
Term "Trick or Treat" printed in national publication The American Home.
Sources: US Census Bureau, U.S. Census confectionary industry report, NPD Group via USAToday.com, National Retail Federation, Popular Costumes based on Google search volume, Experian Hitwise internet sampling and internal sales data, Highest grossing horror franchises according to Box Office Mojo Franchise Index on 10.04.2011
The Ultimate Halloween Guide Q&A
Q: How many kids go trick-or-treating?
A: There are 41 million kids in the U.S. aged 5-14 that are potential trick-or-treaters.
Q: How many homes are there to trick-or-treat?
A: There are 85.78 million households that give out candy.
Q: What are the hot costumes of 2011?
A: Where’s Waldo, Pirates, Mario Brothers, Star Wars, Captain America, Wonder Woman, Angry Birds, Harry Potter, Smurfs, and Monster High.
Q: How much do people spend on Halloween costumes?
A: $1.21 billion is spent on adult costumes, $1 billion on kid’s costumes, and pet-owners spend $310 on costumes for their furry friends.
Q: What are the best and worst places to trick-or-treat in the country?
A: Plano, TX, is the safest city in the country, while St. Louis, MO, has the highest crime rate. City of Falls Church, VA, has the highest median household income. San Francisco was named the best city for walking. Minot, ND, was 26 degrees in Halloween 2010, one of the coldest towns in the country.
Q: How much candy do people eat on Halloween?
A: The average American eats 1.235 pounds of candy on Halloween, which is the equivalent of 33 Fun-Size Snickers, 56 Fun-Size Twix, 127 Starbursts, and 280 M&Ms.
Q: How are people planning to celebrate Halloween?
A: 34.3% of Americans plan to throw or attend a Halloween party. 73.5% of Americans plan to hand out candy to trick-or-treaters and 47.8% plan to carve a pumpkin. 32.9% will take their children trick-or-treating, 49.5% will decorate their home or yard, and 43.9% of Americans plan to dress in costume.
Q: What are the most played Halloween songs?
A: According to Billboard, the most played Halloween songs of 2010 were Thriller, Monster Mash, Ghostbusters, Werewolves of London, and Highway to Hell.
Q: What are the most popular scary movies?
A: In order, the highest grossing horror franchises of all time are Saw, Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Scream, and Halloween.
Q: What is the most popular Halloween TV special?
A: It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, which will air for the 45th year in a row in 2011.
Q: What are the most popular scary books?
A:The Goosebumps series by R.L. Stine, Stephen King novels, and A Dark Matter by Peter Straub.
Q: How big was the heaviest pumpkin?
A: 1810 pounds, recorded in 2010.
Q: What is the history of trick-or-treating?
A: There is record of “guising” in Scotland in 1895, which is when children dressed in costumes and collected treats. In 1911, there was the first record of guising in North America in Ontario. Ruth Edna Kelly described a process like trick-or-treating in her book Hallowe’en in America in 1919. In 1927, there was the earliest recorded use of the term “trick or treat” in Alberta. And by 1939, the term “trick or treat” was printed in the national publication The American Home.
