Are Scary Halloween Candy Prices Tariffs? Inflation? Or the Ghost of Cocoa Past?

For those looking to buy bags of candy to pass out to trick-or-treaters this Halloween, the season’s biggest scare might come from the price tag.

Candy and gum prices are up 8.1% over the same period last year. Non-chocolate items have only gone up in price a little. They’re up 1.8% since 2025. The average price for a bag is $3.31. But the price of chocolaty treats, like Reese’s Cups or Hershey Bars, has leapt 15.5%. The average bag of chocolate candy will set you back $5.67 this year. These prices were reported by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Industry experts point to several factors to explain the rise in candy costs. Inflation, or the rate at which the cost of goods and services rises over time, has been driven up by conflicts like the Iran War. The Trump administration’s tariffs require companies importing chocolate and other goods to pay higher taxes. Those costs are often passed on to shoppers. Politics alone don’t explain the increase, though. Chocolate makers are also contending with the specters of the past.

Much of the world’s cocoa is grown in Africa. From 2023 to 2025, extreme weather harmed cocoa crops there. The amount of available cocoa fell. Prices quadrupled in some places as a result. “Because chocolate makers buy cocoa months, sometimes up to two years ahead, shoppers are paying for that spike now,” Ali Furman told NBC News. “Cocoa prices have since fallen by about half, but lower costs take time to reach the shelf and won’t show up on shelves this Halloween season.” Furman is a consumer markets industry expert.

Prices might continue to creep up. But many people are willing to brave the bill in the name of holiday spirit. The National Retail Federation estimates that Americans will spend $13.5 billion on Halloween this year. 

Reflect: What’s one thing you’d keep buying even if the price kept going up, and what makes it worth it to you?