Americans Are Expected to Break Halloween Spending Record This Year

Costume, candy and jack-o-lantern sellers are cashing in on this haunted holiday.

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By Rose Leadem

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Happy Halloween! Are you dressing up today? The likely answer is yes, because this year nearly 171 million Americans are expected to partake in the spooky holiday. So if you're not in costume yet, you still have a few hours left to jump on the bandwagon.

Related: How Ridesharing Companies Get More Drivers on the Road for One of Their Busiest Days: Halloween

Halloween festivities don't always come cheap, though. In fact, Halloween spending is estimated to reach its peak this year: $8.4 billion. Get ready, trick-or-treaters, because most of that money is going to candy. Ninety-four percent of people plan to buy candy, accounting for two-thirds of Halloween spending this year.

Kids will put on their costumes to redeem all of those goodies, but as it turns out, adults may be a little more excited than youngsters. Americans are spending an estimated $1.2 billion on adult costumes this year -- nearly $250 million more than spending for kids' costumes.

Related: 8 Halloween Meals and Deals Too Scary to Miss

Keep your eyes peeled for a lot of Suicide Squad's Harley Quinn lookalikes today, as well as Star Wars and superhero costumes. To learn more about what's happening on this haunted holiday, check out SUMO Heavy's infographic below.

Rose Leadem
Rose Leadem is a freelance writer for Entrepreneur.com. 

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