Only Half of Kids Trick-or-Treat in Their Own Neighborhood

• Eighty-six percent of families think their neighborhood is a great place to go door-to-door, but many doubt that enough neighbors will hand out candy.
• Annual spending on Halloween decor is outpacing the cost of Halloween candy.
• Halloween night tells a bigger story about why families choose their block: half of Americans would pay more to live somewhere neighbors actually know each other.

For many American families, Halloween has turned into a standoff. According to new survey data from Rocket, 51% of parents take their young children out trick-or-treating on their own street, despite 86% saying it would be a great place to do so.

More than half of families with children 12 and younger - 52% - assume too few homes are participating to make it worth their while. However, the hesitation runs in both directions. Nearly 4 in 10 households skipped passing out candy on Halloween last year because they didn't expect anyone to show up.

The disconnect creates a self-fulfilling prophecy: dark porches mean fewer trick-or-treaters, and fewer trick-or-treaters lead to more porches going dark next year. That cycle is easier to break than it seems. Among those who didn't pass out candy last year, 39% would rejoin if they knew their neighbors were participating.

"We kept hearing that fewer trick-or-treaters were heading out on once-popular blocks, so we looked into it," said Sarah Tarraf, Senior Vice President, Integrated Marketing, Knowledge and Measurement at Rocket. "We found the interest is still there, people are just waiting for a sign from their neighbors that the night will fill their kids' candy bags. A lit porch, a decorated yard or a group chat text can be all it takes to bring the neighborhood out."

Halloween spending is projected to reach $13.5 billion this year, proof that interest in the holiday hasn't faded. Candy makes up just a third of that total, even as the cost of a 100-piece bag has climbed 78% over the past six years (FinanceBuzz). Rising prices make candy an easy expense to cut when hosts aren't confident trick-or-treaters will show up. When no one does, that candy goes to waste.

By contrast, spending on decor delivers holiday spirit to the block whether trick-or-treaters knock or not. That interest is playing out in how American families are splitting their Halloween budget: the average household now spends $39 a year on decor, just ahead of the $38 it puts toward candy.

"Putting out decorations, even when you're not sure anyone's coming, is really about wanting to feel like you're part of something on your street," said Tarraf. "It's the same thing we've long seen in our research: half of Americans would pay more to live somewhere neighbors actually know each other. That need for community is a real influence on where families choose to set down roots."

METHODOLOGY

Rocket's Consumer Insights Research Team conducted an online survey among 1,500 census-representative Americans. The analysis examined how American families are approaching Halloween and the insights behind the differences.