With Halloween just around the dark, spooky corner, let’s take a look at some of the numbers behind the holiday. Try not to get too scared.
9.7 million
The number of views of the “Monster Mash” on YouTube (as of Thursday afternoon).
$46.95
Price of the viral
white and gold “What Is the Color?” dress costume on Yandy.com. CEO Chad Horstman told Reuters it’s their most popular costume this year.
Five
Number of states where candy corn is the most popular Halloween candy. Reese’s or Reese’s Pieces are the most popular treat in four states.
1.2 billion
Pounds of pumpkins sold every year in the United States, according to the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center.
3.2 million
Number of children who dress up as princesses, the most popular costume category, according to the National Retail Federation.
774,000
Number of adults who have chosen a political character as their costume this year.
600 million
Pounds of candy sold every year for Halloween.
$74
Average amount an American will spend this year on decorations, costumes, candy, etc.
$6.9 billion
Expected Halloween retail sales this year, the lowest amount since 2011.
$1.2 billion
Amount expected to be spent on adult costumes, more than the $950 million expected to be spent on children’s costumes.
49 percent
Portion of Americans who will celebrate Halloween this year. Only 21 percent will dress in a costume.
Zero
Approximate number of kids who have died as a result of a stranger tampering with their candy. “Every time a case has been reported, the cause of death or injury has turned out to be something other than Halloween candy,” sociologist Joel Best said in a 2002 interview.
60
Approximate number of “Twilight Zone” episodes you can watch on Netflix if you spent all of Halloween watching. Wouldn’t be the worst way to spend a day.
144 minutes
Runtime of “The Shining,” one of my favorite scary movies.
Zero
The number of people I want to see dressed in a “sexy Donald Trump” costume.
Jason Russell is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
