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
| Alaska | 46.9% | 1 |
| Idaho | 41.5% | 2 tie |
| Oregon | 41.5% | 2 tie |
| Arkansas | 41.4% | 3 tie |
| Montana | 41.4% | 3 tie |
| Utah | 41.4% | 3 tie |
| Louisiana | 41.1% | 4 |
| Alabama | 41% | 5 tie |
| Washington | 41% | 5 tie |
| Georgia | 40.9% | 6 tie |
| Missouri | 40.9% | 6 tie |
| Iowa | 40.8% | 7 |
| Maryland | 40.4% | 8 |
| Florida | 40.2% | 9 |
| Oklahoma | 40.1% | 10 |
| West Virginia | 40% | 11 |
| Texas | 39.7 | 12 tie |
| Wisconsin | 39.7 | 12 tie |
| Michigan | 39.6% | 13 |
| Kansas | 39.5% | 14 tie |
| Kentucky | 39.5% | 14 tie |
| Illinois | 39.4% | 15 tie |
| Nevada | 39.4% | 15 tie |
| Connecticut | 39.2% | 16 tie |
| Pennsylvania | 39.2% | 16 tie |
| New Mexico | 39.1% | 17 |
| Colorado | 39% | 18 tie |
| Mississippi | 39% | 18 tie |
| Tennessee | 39% | 18 tie |
| Delaware | 39% | 18 tie |
| Nebraska | 38.9% | 19 tie |
| South Dakota | 38.9% | 19 tie |
| Indiana | 38.6 | 20 tie |
| North Dakota | 38.6% | 20 tie |
| Arizona | 38.5% | 21 tie |
| South Carolina | 38.5% | 21 tie |
| California | 38.2% | 22 |
| Ohio | 38% | 23 |
| New Jersey | 37.9% | 24 |
| Minnesota | 37.8% | 25 |
| New York | 37.7% | 26 |
| Virginia | 37.6% | 27 |
| North Carolina | 37.5% | 28 tie |
| Rhode Island | 37.5% | 28 tie |
| Massachusetts | 36.3% | 29 |
| Hawaii | 36% | 30 |
| New Hampshire | 34% | 31 |
| Vermont | 33.4% | 32 |
| Maine | 31.9% | 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.