Some of the best places for Halloween could be in your hometown

Ten of the Top 20 best places for Halloween are located in California.

With Halloween just around the corner and total spending on related expenses projected to reach $10.6 billion this year, WalletHub today released its 2022’s Best Places for Halloween report.

To help Americans decide where to spend the most spook-tacular time of year without frightening their bank accounts, WalletHub compared the 100 largest U.S. cities across 22 key metrics. They range from candy and chocolate stores per capita to average price per Halloween party ticket to share of potential trick-or-treat stops.

Top 20 Best Places for Halloween

1. New York, NY
2. San Francisco, CA
3. Miami, FL
4. Los Angeles, CA
5. San Diego, CA
6. San Jose, CA
7. Jersey City, NJ
8. Las Vegas, NV
9. Santa Ana, CA
10. Boston, MA
11. Orlando, FL
12. Laredo, TX
13. Anaheim, CA
14. Chicago, IL
15. Hialeah, FL
16. Chula Vista, CA
17. Long Beach, CA
18. Sacramento, CA
19. Fremont, CA
20. Tampa, FL

Halloween Facts:

  • $10.6 Billion: Projected Halloween spending in 2022.
  • $3.6 Billion: Halloween costume spending in 2022.
  • $3.1 Billion: Halloween candy spending in 2022.
  • 34%: Share of parents who think 13 or 14 is old enough to trick-or-treat alone.
  • 86%: Share of parents who admit to stealing candy from their kids.
  • $300+ Million: Annual revenue from ticket sales for haunted attractions, 80% of which are run by charities.

Expert Commentary

How can the process of collecting and allocating Halloween candy be used to teach children about personal finance?

“Lessons on personal finance need to be age appropriate. For younger children, learning basic skills in the areas of mathematics, logic, and executive function skills are the building blocks of personal finance. Families can start children off by involving them in the decisions about decoration and candy purchases, pointing out costs and quantities. In many places, pumpkins are sold based on price per pound. Pointing out how weight is connected to measurement is a learning opportunity. Involving children in purchasing decisions and making the decision-making process transparent is always a good idea. Post-Halloween, once the treats are collected, mathematics can also come in the form of having children count and sort their candy.”
— Martha Buell, Ph.D. – Professor; CEI Senior Faculty Fellow for Engaged Scholarship, University of Delaware

“Children have natural money personalities and observing the way they handle their Halloween booty is a great learning opportunity for parents. At its most basic form, children are either naturally ‘spenders’ or ‘savers.’ Once a parent gains a better idea of their children’s money personalities – and they will all be different – the parent can begin to provide some structure around how the candy is eaten, shared, and given away. Setting guidelines could include a piece of candy given away or shared for every two eaten. Or, only allowing it after homework and chores are done and in limited quantities to teach about delayed gratification. And, do not forget the opportunity to teach kids about taxes. ‘Dad tax’ is what we call it in our house. So, Dad helped pay for the costumes, shuttle the kids around, and fix the cheap costume malfunctions throughout the night, so Dad rightfully gets his percentage of the candy.”
— Luke Erickson – Associate Professor, University of Idaho, Boise Center

What are some strategies for celebrating Halloween without breaking the bank?

“When brainstorming Halloween costumes, consider reusing items you already own before purchasing something new. Oftentimes, children have dress-up clothes at home that can be repurposed for Halloween. Parents or grandparents may have items that can be reused or restyled to create Halloween costumes as well. The most creative and unique costumes are typically homemade instead of purchased from a boxed retailer. Other options would be to thrift costumes or use character pajamas rather than a pricey ‘ready-to-wear’ costume. This extends the costume’s purpose after Halloween and stretches your investment from a few hours of trick-or-treating to something children can use and enjoy for months to come.”
— Andrew Burnstine, Ph.D. – Associate Professor, Lynn University

“Halloween has become an adult-oriented holiday, akin to New Year’s Eve. Along with this comes the availability of elaborate decorations and costumes that can be costly. This means setting a budget and sticking to it is important. Again, families can involve their children in setting the total amount of their Halloween celebration and creating a budget for decorations, costumes, and giving away treats. DIY options are often more cost effective, so if a child reaches their maximum allocation for their costume, suggest they fill in with something they make themselves. This is especially appropriate for children who are a bit older. The one area where homemade does not work is with the treats to give away. Parents are very dubious of consumables without proper unopened packaging.”
— Martha Buell, Ph.D. – Professor; CEI Senior Faculty Fellow for Engaged Scholarship, University of Delaware

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Image Sources

  • Jack-o-lanterns: Pixaby