Prices
Halloween candy is up 15.3% while cocoa is down by more than half
By the newsroom · · 1 min read · ▶ 0:52
The essentials
- Halloween candy prices are up 15.3 percent, four times overall inflation, according to Groundwork Collaborative and The Century Foundation.[1]
- A Mondelez sour gummy variety pack costs an average of $4.20 this fall, up 39% from $3.02 in 2025.[2]
- Cocoa prices have fallen by more than half from their 2024 peak, and wholesale sugar is down 10 percent.[1]
- Hershey says it did not pass the full impact of higher costs on to consumers.[2]
What happened
An analysis by Groundwork Collaborative and The Century Foundation finds Halloween candy prices up 15.3 percent, four times overall inflation.[1] The report relied on NielsenIQ average prices for the one-week periods ending October 3, 2026, and October 4, 2025.[2] Hershey seasonal peanut butter cups cost $8.23 on average, up 23% from last year.[2] Ferrero raised prices for chocolate candy packs by nearly 19%.[3] Packs from Wrigley, maker of Skittles and Starburst, rose 17.4 percent.[1]
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What the video doesn't say
The two groups say Hershey's gross profit margin reached 45 percent in the second quarter, up from 30 percent a year ago, helped by a $9 million tariff refund.[1] Mondelez saw its gross profit margin rise to 43 percent, from 33 percent a year earlier.[1] Mondelez received a $6 million tariff refund, according to the analysis.[2] Hershey says more than 75% of its U.S. confection portfolio is available for less than $4.[2] Representatives for Mondelez did not respond to Scripps News.[2] The National Retail Federation estimates that 74% of Americans plan to celebrate Halloween this year.[3]
Sources
- 1Halloween Candy Prices Up 15%, Giving American Families a Jump ScareThe Century Foundation · October 20, 2026
- 2Halloween candy costs surge as Americans increasingly take on debt to cover purchasesScripps News · October 20, 2026
- 3Halloween candy prices jump 15.3%Supermarket News · October 21, 2026
Photos: Pkraemer (CC BY-SA 4.0), MatthewHoobin (CC BY-SA 4.0), Toohool (CC BY-SA 4.0), Mike Mozart (CC BY 2.0), Supercarwaar (CC BY-SA 4.0), Chris Woodrich (CC BY-SA 4.0). Cropped.
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