Halloween shoppers are facing higher prices than ever this year, as Trump administration tariffs and a global cocoa shortage strain supplies for costumes and sweet treats.

According to data from The Century Foundation (TCF) think tank, candy prices are up nearly 11% this Halloween season compared to last year, with some brands raising prices by more than 30%. Tootsie Roll Lollipops saw the biggest price bump at 34%, followed by Tootsie Roll variety packs at 32%, Hershey variety packs at 22%, and Mars variety packs at 12%. Far smaller increases were seen for candy that doesn't include chocolate, including Ferrara Taffy at 0.7%, Albanese gummy candy at 2%, and Hershey non-chocolate variety packs at 3%. 

TCF found that the vast majority of cocoa products — sourced primarily from West African countries and produced in Europe — have faced U.S. tariff rates between 15% and 39%, and in mid-July, Hershey estimated that tariffs would cost the company up to $180 million by the end of 2025. Early in 2025, Oreo and Toblerone maker Mondelēz International also warned that the cocoa industry was facing "unprecedented cost inflation," after months of dry weather conditions in West Africa slowed global cocoa production by 14% during the 2023-24 growing season.

Across all retail categories — including candy, costumes and decorations — nearly 80% of Halloween shoppers anticipate higher prices this year because of tariffs, according to the National Retail Federation, while total Halloween spending is expected to come in at a record $13.1 billion for the season. The TCF estimates that more than 85% of Halloween costumes and decorations are made in China, which has faced some of the highest tariff rates in the world for the better part of 2025.