When it comes to timing and day of the week, Halloween and trick-or-treating have become a touchpoint in the parenting community. How early is too early for trick-or-treaters? How old is too old? And, of course, the age-old question: Should Halloween be moved to a Saturday?

We surveyed 2,004 people in residential neighborhoods across the country to find out. 

According to respondents, ideal trick-or-treating hours are 6 to 9 p.m. and trick-or-treaters age out of the tradition at 15 years old. Staying out past bedtime on a school night doesn’t bother most participants - almost half say that the holiday shouldn’t be moved to the last Saturday in October. 

 Whether you’re celebrating the spooky holiday on a Thursday or a Saturday, we can all agree: The candy haul is the best part of Halloween for trick-or-treaters. Even those without children get in on the fun, with more than 3 out of 4 choosing to stay home and answer the door to hand out candy.

 Regardless of if you’re one of the 81% that prefers to hand out candy or the 12% that leaves a bowl out on the porch, make sure you’re giving trick-or-treaters what they want.

 So, what do they want? We analyzed search trends to find the most popular Halloween candy in every state so you don’t have to guess. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups swept the nation as the most popular candy in 12 states. AirHeads, Nerds, SweeTarts and Gummy Worms were the least popular, rounding out the list with just one state each.

 But Reese’s isn’t the most popular in big cities - that honor goes to M&Ms, which are the crowd favorites in New York City, San Antonio, San Diego, Fort Worth and Columbus. 

 How much is this all going to cost you? According to respondents, the average household spends just over $25 on candy while parents go above and beyond to spend $35.

Methodology 

 Using the Google AdWords platform, we analyzed search volume trends for more than 100 different types of candy, over the period of September 2018 to October 2018 in all 50 states and the 20 largest cities in the country.

 On September 10, 2019, we surveyed 2,004 people living in residential neighborhoods. 40 percent of respondents reported having children who still trick-or-treat, and the average age of respondents was 38 years old.

 For media inquiries, contact media@digitalthirdcoast.net. 

 Fair Use 

 Feel free to use this data and research with proper attribution linking to this study. When you do, please give credit and link to bid-on-equipment.com.