Stats About Halloween

As we prepare for the what some consider to be the 4th biggest holiday in America (after "December", Thanksgiving, and 4th of July), I thought I'd share some interesting facts about Halloween.  Most of the time we don't think about it, but Halloween has become a huge holiday, and a somewhat adult holiday at that!  We need to give it some credit.

Americans typically spend over $5 billion in costumes, candy, and decorations each year.  It is in fact the #2 most decorated holiday after Christmas, and the #1 photo upload holiday of the year in social media (everyone wants to show off and see each other's costumes).  This year there are projected to be 41 million trick or treaters.  We will consumer 24.7 pounds of chocolate per capita this year as well ... a lot of it around Halloween making it the #1 candy holiday of the year (Valentine's Day is #2 and Easter is #3).

There is some debate, but most ranking reports put Halloween in the top 5 of all drinking holidays ... including Super Bowl, Mardi Gras, Thanksgiving Eve, and Cinco de Mayo.  Best city to trick or treat:  San Francisco.  Why?  Not sure, but the survey was done by a real estate firm!

Maybe you can use some of these stats to spark conversations at your Halloween party ... it is the #3 biggest party night of the year after all (Thanksgiving Eve is #1 because everyone is "home" and let's not forget about the Super Bowl which is #2).

So prepare wisely and act safely.  I still have not figured out what I am wearing to our company Halloween party.  The stakes are high, though, because it's a very creative bunch.  Watch out!

Have a great Halloween experience .... Jim.

Jim Joseph
- President of Cohn & Wolfe NA
- Author of The Experience Effect series
- Professor, NYU
- Contributor, Entrepreneur and Huffington Post


PS - Your costume can say a lot about your personal brand ... see why in my new book The Personal Experience Effect