Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, which means a long night at the front door for a lot of East Haven households. It also means a bigger candy bill than the one you remember from a few years ago, even though prices have finally cooled off a bit in 2026.
What a bag costs now
FinanceBuzz, a personal-finance website, tracks Halloween candy prices every year at four national chains: Walmart, Target, Kroger and Albertsons. In its study, updated Sept. 30, a 100-piece bag of assorted Halloween candy averages $16.96 this year. In 2021 the same 100 pieces averaged $9.91. That is an increase of about 71%.
Most of the jump came in the middle of that stretch. The site’s average rose to $11.61 in 2023, $14.06 in 2024 and $16.39 last year. This year’s bag costs about 3.5% more than last year’s, the smallest yearly increase in the study’s five years of data.
FinanceBuzz counted only full-price bags, at least 25 a year, ranging from 28 to 500 pieces. Older prices came from the chains’ archived weekly ads, and this year’s came from their websites in September. It is a private price study, not a government survey, but federal numbers point the same way.
What the government numbers say
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ consumer price index for September, released Oct. 14, shows candy and chewing gum prices up 7.7% from a year earlier. That is about twice the 3.7% rise in prices overall, and more than four times the 1.8% increase for groceries in general.
Over five years the gap is wider. Using the bureau’s index levels, the East Haven Courier calculated that candy and gum prices rose about 44% from September 2021 to September 2026. Overall consumer prices rose about 23% over the same period.
BLS does not track candy by region. Its New England figures show overall prices up 4.3% over the past year, while grocery prices here barely moved, up about half a percent. In other words, candy is climbing faster than the rest of the grocery cart in our part of the country.
What it means at your door
At this year’s FinanceBuzz average, each piece of candy costs about 17 cents, up from about 10 cents in 2021. A house that hands out 300 pieces would spend about $51 at full price this year. Five years ago the same bowl would have cost about $30.
People are buying anyway. In its annual Halloween survey, released Sept. 22, the National Retail Federation found that 96% of people celebrating plan to buy candy, and 61% plan to hand it out. The trade group expects Americans to spend $4.1 billion on candy, part of a record $13.5 billion on Halloween overall.
Shoppers say they will be careful about it. If prices are higher than expected, 31% told NRF they would comparison-shop, 26% would look for coupons or sales, and 34% would look for items they can reuse. Prosper Insights & Analytics surveyed 7,889 adults for the NRF from Sept. 1 to 9.
Sponsored Partner
Wood Ranger
East Haven leaves are coming down. Is this the easiest way to clear them?
See the leaf blower ›
The East Haven Courier may be paid a small commission on partner offers at no cost to you.
Stretch your candy dollars
- Compare price per piece, not per bag. Bags in the FinanceBuzz study ranged from 28 to 500 pieces. The unit price on the shelf tag is the fastest way to compare.
- Watch the weekly ads. The study’s averages are full-price only, so a sale bag will beat them.
- Pick a number first. Decide how many pieces you will hand out, then buy for that number, not for the biggest bag on the shelf.
A different kind of Halloween treat in East Haven
For families who want an outing beyond the candy bowl, the Shore Line Trolley Museum at 17 River St. has two seasonal programs on its events calendar:
- Haunted Trolley, “In Search of Sasquatch”: A comic, interactive Bigfoot hunt aboard a historic trolley, presented with the museum. Rides run tonight, Sunday, Oct. 18, at 5, 6, 7 and 8 p.m., then Friday through Sunday evenings, Oct. 23–25 and Oct. 30–Nov. 1. Tickets are $29, sold in advance only, with 40 riders per trip. Riders under 16 must be with an adult. The museum says the 5 and 6 p.m. Sunday rides are the more family-friendly ones, and there are rides from 5 to 9 p.m. on Halloween night.
- All Aboard the Pumpkin Patch Trolley: Today, Sunday, Oct. 18, and next Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 24 and 25, 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Space on the Haunted Trolley is limited, so check availability before you go. The museum is run by the nonprofit Branford Electric Railway Association. Our fall guide to the trolley museum has more.
More from our Sponsored Partners
Sponsored Partner
The East Haven Courier may be paid a small commission on partner offers at no cost to you.
Want East Haven news in your inbox? The East Haven Courier newsletter is coming soon. Email news@easthavencourier.com with “Newsletter” in the subject line to get on the list.
Have a tip? Email news@easthavencourier.com
