Halloween's Effect on the Economy

As the fall foliage appears and the chill emerges Halloween approaches. While Hallows Eve itself is the main event, the fall festivities prior to it are oftentimes the most drawn part. What would the season be without bags of candy, pumpkin drinks, pastries, decorations, and latex masks referencing your favorite slasher movie? Americans as a whole spend an incredible amount of time and money preparing for this one spooky night because of the exclusivity and influence mass holidays have. Cultural events such as Halloween fall under the speculation of cultural economics, the study of the influence and effect enticing celebrations, like Halloween has on various communities.

On average Americans spend $10 billion on Halloween, coming just ahead of the 4th of July. “Major holidays like Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas are like mini-economic booms...The spending also creates a ripple effect to other adjacent industries. As holiday sales increase, businesses hire more employees who also spend more on stuff. There are also all the secondary industries impacted, like transportation, packaging, and advertising”. While an enormous amount of consumerism is provoked by Halloween it’s actually one of the holidays with the least amount of negative effects, both economically, and environmentally. Since it’s centered around the ‘fall experience’ and not gift-giving most people shop in person, reducing shipping effects and waste.