Halloween candy prices are up more than 15% year-over-year in the U.S., as inflation and global disruptions have driven up costs for supply chains.

According to an analysis from the Groundwork Collaborative and Century Foundation think tanks, candy prices are up across virtually every type. That includes an increase of 19% for chocolate products from Hershey and Ferrero, as well as a 39% bump for Mondelez's gummy offerings like Sour Patch Kids and Swedish Fish, a 22% increase for Hershey gummy and fruit products such as Jolly Ranchers and Twizzlers, and a 17.4% increase for Wrigley's fruit candies, including Skittles and Starburst.

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This all comes in a year where cocoa prices have actually fallen by more than half from their 2024 peak, as historic drought conditions in West Africa — where more than two-thirds of the world's cocoa is grown — have abated, supplies have improved, and demand has weakened. However, consumers aren't likely to reap those savings this Halloween, given that many chocolate makers locked in higher cocoa prices months in advance, meaning that the recent decline has yet to fully reduce their production costs.

Groundwork Collaborative asserts that corporate profiteering could be playing a role as well, arguing that last year’s tariff exemption for cocoa, and lower wholesale prices for sugar (down 10% year-over-year) and corn syrup (down 4%) should have already helped bring down retail prices.

"Hershey’s gross profit margin reached 45% in the second quarter of this year, up from 30% a year ago with the help of a $9 million tariff refund that never made its way to customers," the think tank noted. "High consolidation in the candy market allows these corporate giants to increase prices without taking much of a hit on sales, as consumers have few alternatives to switch to for a bargain."

Even so, other candy companies have still sought to adjust their prices in response to recent economic shifts. Speaking to Reuters, Lindt & Sprüngli executive chairman Ernst Tanner said that the chocolate maker had misjudged how its customers in Germany would react to price hikes. The company has since ousted its CEO, and cut prices for some of its offerings in hopes of boosting sales numbers that have waned dramatically over the last year.