Halloween candy costs 71% more than five years ago, even though cocoa has come down
Explains why chocolate prices lag falling cocoa (forward contracts) and how to stretch a candy budget, with BLS numbers.
A 100-piece bag of assorted Halloween candy now averages $16.96, up from $9.91 five years ago, a 71% rise, according to a 2026 candy price study cited by Farmers' Almanac.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data show candy and gum prices up 7.7% in the 12 months to September 2026, against 3.7% for consumer prices overall. Poor harvests and crop disease in Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana drove cocoa to extraordinary highs in 2024 and 2025. Wholesale cocoa has since fallen sharply, but the article explains that big manufacturers buy cocoa on contracts set months ahead, so some of this year's Halloween chocolate was made with pricier beans; sugar, packaging, transport and labor costs also feed in.
Its tips: compare the price per piece rather than per bag, mix chocolate with other treats, check store apps, and buy for the number of trick-or-treaters you actually expect.
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Shrinkflation
After exploring Why Is Halloween Candy So Expensive in 2026?, for the other way candy costs creep up, read Shrinkflation.
Wikipedia defines shrinkflation: shrinking the size or quantity of a product while its price stays the same.
Wikipedia · Wade · 5 min
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