Trick-or-treating has never seemed as popular in Florida as it was back when I lived in New England. That could be because it’s still hot in October, or perhaps it’s simply because no holiday except the 4th of July feels right when you live in tropical weather.
Despite having no trick-or-treaters most years, we always buy candy just in case. And for 2026, the candy my wife chose (because she expected I would end up eating it), gummy bears, plays into a trend.
With chocolate prices rising, shoppers have been leaning into cheaper options.
“This Halloween, trick-or-treaters may see fewer traditional colors of chocolate brown and more bright red and blue, as shoppers turn to more colorful, less expensive candy assortments to hand out,” Omnisend retail and ecommerce advisor Greg Zakowicz shared with TheStreet.
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Amazon’s candy sales
Omnisend sent TheStreet an analysis of Amazon sales data that showed the following:
- Chewy/gummy candy sold the most of any individual candy category at $22.1 million and 1.2 million units, with Sour Patch Kids selling the most units in the category. This beat chocolate bars, at $18.2 million and 730,000 units.
- As chocolate prices rise, consumers are opting for more cost-effective options: Chewy candy is the best value candy at $16 per unit (compared to chocolate’s $22 and hard candy’s $29 average per unit price).
- Bulk packs made up 48% of revenue and 40% of units sold as households opt for large bags of crowd pleasers over single bars.
- Brands specializing in allergy-friendly, low-sugar, and better-for-you candy options (like Shameless Snacks and YumEarth) outsold M&Ms, selling a total of $3.73 million.
- Methodology: Aggregate analysis of Amazon sales data scraped on Oct. 12 using Jungle Scout with the keyword “Candy.” Figures represent Jungle Scout’s 30-day rolling sales estimates, totaling $154.7 million in revenue and 7.3 million units sold.
“Chocolate prices have risen roughly 15% in 2026, making the cost of traditional Halloween handouts less affordable for families. This could lead to fewer Snickers and a plethora of Dum Dums and Sweet Tarts filling up pillowcases this Halloween,” Zakowicz said.
The analyst suggested that higher prices might lead to some families making an extreme decision.
“Due to overall price increases on everyday goods, I suspect we will see more families who venture out of the house on Halloween to either reduce the amount of self-serve candy they leave out or skip leaving it out altogether. I expect those who stay in to purchase less to avoid the dreaded candy leftovers and temptations of overindulgence,” he added.
Candy prices have climbed, but chocolate still rules
Candy prices rose in September and are now up nearly 8% over the past year. On average, prices are 13% higher now than five years ago, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
While chocolate prices have climbed, Instacart’s sales data shows that consumers have not abandoned chocolate-based candies.
“Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups took the No. 1 spot by ounces of candy sold and it wasn’t even close. The top five is a chocolate bloc: Peanut M&M’s in second, Hershey’s Milk Chocolate in third, M&M’s in fourth, and Snickers in fifth. You don’t even get to a non-chocolate candy until No. 7, where Sour Patch Kids sneaks into the mix,” the report showed.
TheStreet’s own study of Halloween candy prices did show that non-chocolate treats were the cheaper option.
Despite the price difference, Americans simply prefer chocolate candies.
A majority, or about 51% of the population, say chocolate is their preferred Halloween candy of choice. In a distant second place, 9% said they love gummies and jelly candy and another 9% said they reach for sour candies, while 7% said caramel candies are their top choice, according to an Ipsos poll.
In addition, 15% of poll respondents said they don’t like Halloween candy at all.
