Halloween candy sales have started slowly this year as U.S. consumers grapple with high living costs and expensive chocolate. NielsenIQ data shows sales fell 6.7% in the month ending Oct. 17 from a year earlier, after an 11.7% drop in mid-September erased the preseason gains seen in the previous two years. NielsenIQ's Chris Costagli said high gas prices, now averaging $4.29 per gallon, have worsened affordability concerns and dampened demand. Candy and gum prices rose 44% over five years versus 22.5% for all food eaten at home, largely due to cocoa prices that hit a record in January 2025 amid poor West African weather and speculative trading. Non-chocolate candy, about 3% cheaper than last year, has not seen a sales lift, and Circana's Sally Lyons Wyatt wonders whether shoppers are waiting until closer to Halloween to buy.
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