Halloween Candy Prices Are Even Scarier Than Last Year Thanks To Cocoa & Tariffs

Last year, Halloween candy prices were up by an average of 7.5%, mostly because of the availability and rising costs of cocoa. Poor growing seasons due to extreme weather conditions meant that candy producers were upping prices of all of their candy, even non-chocolate candy, to make up the difference, along with changing the size or ingredient proportions of their chocolate offerings.

This year, things have gotten even worse. Cocoa prices are still elevated and on top of that tariffs and inflation are taking a toll on the candy consumer’s wallet.

Videos on Twitter are showing consumers shocked that a bag of candy that might have been $20 two years ago is now hovering much closer to $30.

“Porch light will be off this year,” one video caption reads, showing many of the candy bags at Walmart priced at $29.97.

A 100-piece bag of assorted Halloween candy averages $16.39 this year, up $7.20 over the past 5 years, according to a FinanceBuzz study based on grocery store circular ads. Just in the last year, you’ll pay about $2 more per 100 candies.

All in all, Halloween candy prices have soared 78% since 2020, according to the same study. That’s triple the rate of inflation.

“The main thing I’ve seen is just this dramatic increase in the price of chocolate. We buy our chocolate wholesale, from various suppliers here in the U.S.,” Dave Burton, owner of Capital Candy Jar, told DC News. “And since January of 2024, the price of wholesale chocolate has gone up over 150%.”

Consumers are going to change how they celebrate Halloween in response to the rise in prices and ongoing tariffs (which has also significantly increased the prices of Halloween costumes) as well as the current economic and political climate. In fact, half of Americans are planning to spend less on Halloween than they did last year.

How are others coping? You might notice more non-chocolate choices on the shelves this year as candy makers pivot to things like gummies, Nerds, hard candy, and lollipops.

You might also notice a lot more non-candy items in your kids’ Halloween baskets this year. Consumers who can’t bite the bullet on spending a ton of money on candy during an already tight year might be getting creative with things like pencils, stickers, crafts, and fidgets. As always, be wary of anyone handing out homemade treats who you don’t know.