Happy Halloween!

Halloween is still more popular than ever and the numbers keep getting scarier every year! 158 million Americans are going to celebrate Halloween in 2013 and just under half of them will carve a pumpkin.

Halloween expenditure has been rising in the United States for years – 2011 was particularly impressive when a whopping $8 billion was dished out on cards, candy, costumes and the like. With financial chaos on Capitol Hill and tough economic conditions, 2013 is predicted to be somewhat quieter with an expenditure forecast of $6.9 billion.

What are Americans going to spend their bucks on this year? Apart from those delicious pumpkins, individual consumers are expected to fork out $3.82 for cards, $20.99 for decorations, $22.37 for candy and $27.85 for costumes, the most popular of which will be the princess for kids and the witch for adults.

In 2012, individual consumer expenditure amounted to $79.82. This will drop slightly to $75.03 in 2013. And what’s the scariest thing of all? This year, Americans will spend $330 million on costumes for their pets!