The pumpkin pile is plumping up

Americans are expected to spend $575.26 million on pumpkins for carving into jack-o-lanterns in 2018

With 45% of Americans expected to be carving pumpkins this Halloween and the average price per pumpkin hitting $3.89 in late September 2018, we’ve calculated an estimated $575.26 million will be spent on pumpkins to be hollowed out and placed on doorsteps and porches around the country.

Despite Halloween spending expected to reach $9 billion this year, the cost of pumpkins has actually dropped by about 5.6% since last year to $3.89 on average per pumpkin (woohoo!). This lower average pumpkin price coupled with a smaller proportion of Americans wanting to carve a pumpkin results in a lower jack-o-lantern expenditure for 2018.

Here’s how the total adds up:

Average price of a pumpkin in October 2018	$3.89
Percentage of Americans planning to carve pumpkins	45%
Number of Americans that plan to carve pumpkins, as of October 18, 2017	147,882,426
Total jack-o-lantern expenditure	$575,262,637

Source: finder.com, United States Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Commerce, National Retail Federation

Time to get spooky

Thankfully, there should be enough supply to meet demand for everything pumpkin-related this fall, with pumpkin production up on last year, when diseases, rain and cool temperatures damaged crops.

Overall, Halloween 2018 is expected to be an expensive day with the National Retail Federation predicting total spending on Halloween to reach a record of $9 billion.

Source: National Retail Federation, finder.com

How can you save money at Halloween?

“If you don’t keep your spending on costumes, decorations and parties under check, Halloween can quickly become one of the most expensive holidays of the year,” advises Rachel Dix-Kessler’s, PR and coordinator at finder.com.

“It’s important to set yourself a budget before venturing to the shops to ensure you’re conscious of over-spending. To stretch your dollar even further, you might opt to get creative instead of buying something new. When it comes to costumes, the winning outfit might be a combination of items already hanging in your wardrobe, or from around the house (after all, sheets make for the perfect ghost!). If hosting a party, try to purchase items that you know you’ll be able to use again.”

How to choose the ideal pumpkin for carving

A 2017–2018 jack-o-lantern comparison

Let’s take a closer look

The average price of a pumpkin has dropped by 5.6% in 2018, to $3.89 from 2017’s $4.12. The proportion of Americans planning to carve pumpkins has only declined 1%, at 45%. This lower price average coupled with 45% of American’s 2018 population has resulted in a decrease of 7.0% in total jack-o-lantern expenditure. With that in mind, who is ready to carve?

	2018	2017	% difference
Average price of a pumpkin	$3.89	$4.12	-5.6%
Percentage of Americans planning to carve pumpkins	45%	46%	–
Number of Americans that plan to carve pumpkins	147,882,426	150,007,007	-1.4%
Total jack-o-lantern expenditure	$575,262,637	$618,028,870	-7.0%

Source: finder.com, United States Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Commerce, National Retail Federation

Jack-o-lantern fun facts

80% of the pumpkin supply in the United States is available in October.
Jack-o-lanterns are believed to have originated in Ireland in the 19th century.
The world’s largest jack-o-lantern was carved into the Guinness World Records on October 31, 2010, by Scott Cully in Bronx, New York, weighing 1,810.5 pounds (821.23kg).

- The average price of pumpkins ($3.89) was calculated using the average advertised retail price per pumpkin recorded each week in September by the United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service.
- 45% of Americans are expected to carve pumpkins this Halloween, based on the National Retail Federation’s Annual Halloween Spending Survey, conducted in 2017 by Prosper Insights & Analytics.
- A conservative estimate was used to calculate the number of pumpkins carved, as some people will carve more than others. So we used 45% of the total American population, of 328,627,613 as at September 20, 2018, (source: United States Census Bureau Population Clock), which equates to 147,882,426, then multiplied by $3.89 to total $575,262,637.

Other money statistic pages...

For media inquiries:

Rachel Dix-Kessler

Digital PR and content coordinator at the forefront
of personal finance trends.

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The pumpkin pile is plumping up

Time to get spooky

How can you save money at Halloween?

How to choose the ideal pumpkin for carving