Halloween candy prices are downright scary

ConsumerAffairs

Prices have surged since the pandemic

Keeping trick or treaters happy this Halloween is probably going to most more than you think. The cost of candy began to soar in April and prices have yet to come back to earth.

Data compiled by Datasembly show that nationwide, candy and gum prices are higher in every state over the last four years. Prices are up at least by one third with some states seeing even higher prices.

A spike in the cost of sugar is a big reason why. In April, world ICE sugar futures jumped, threatening to take out the previous 2011 high. Prices have moderated somewhat but manufacturers producing Halloween candy were buying earlier in the year.

Alaska is the most expensive state

Candy prices have risen the most in Alaska, costing nearly 47% more today than in 2019. On the other end of the scale, candy and gum prices are only up around 32% in Maine.

Here’s how much candy and gum prices have risen in each state:

States                    +/-     Rank

Alaska46.9%  1
Idaho41.5%  2 tie
Oregon41.5%  2 tie
Arkansas41.4%  3 tie
Montana41.4%  3 tie
Utah41.4%  3 tie
Louisiana41.1%  4
Alabama41%  5 tie
Washington41%  5 tie
Georgia40.9%  6 tie
Missouri40.9%  6 tie
Iowa40.8%  7
Maryland40.4%  8
Florida40.2%  9
Oklahoma40.1%  10
West Virginia40%  11
Texas39.7  12 tie
Wisconsin39.7  12 tie
Michigan39.6%  13
Kansas39.5%  14 tie
Kentucky39.5%  14 tie
Illinois39.4%  15 tie
Nevada39.4%  15 tie
Connecticut39.2%  16 tie
Pennsylvania39.2%  16 tie
New Mexico39.1%  17
Colorado39%  18 tie
Mississippi39%  18 tie
Tennessee39%  18 tie
Delaware39%  18 tie
Nebraska38.9%  19 tie
South Dakota38.9%  19 tie
Indiana38.6  20 tie
North Dakota38.6%  20 tie
Arizona38.5%  21 tie
South Carolina38.5%  21 tie
California38.2%  22
Ohio38%  23
New Jersey37.9%  24
Minnesota37.8%  25
New York37.7%  26
Virginia37.6%  27
North Carolina37.5%  28 tie
Rhode Island37.5%  28 tie
Massachusetts36.3%  29
Hawaii36%  30
New Hampshire34%  31
Vermont33.4%  32
Maine31.9%  33

Candy prices also vary widely by metro area. As we recently reported, the cost of sweets is up 14.1% in Albany, N.Y., in just the last 12 months, making it the most expensive candy metro in the U.S.

Chris Tang, a professor at the Anderson School of Management at UCLA, says sugar isn’t the only thing contributing to more expensive candy. He told ConsumerAffairs that other candy ingredients also cost more. In addition, labor and distribution costs are also higher.

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