# Chocolate and Non-Chocolate Candy Volumes Fell Through Oct. 15 as Unit Prices Rose

By John Kim

Canonical URL: https://www.tokenpost.com/news/business/40580
Published: 2026-10-25T15:39:02.000Z
Updated: 2026-10-25T15:39:02.000Z
Section: Business

> Chocolate dollar sales fell 2.3% and non-chocolate sales fell 9.2%. September’s candy and chewing gum CPI rose 7.7% year over year.

Chocolate and non-chocolate candy volumes fell through Oct. 15 as average unit prices rose, with dollar sales also lower in both tracked categories compared with a year earlier.

Through Oct. 15, chocolate dollar sales were down 2.3% year over year and volume fell 7.1%; its average price per unit rose 5.2%. Non-chocolate candy dollar sales declined 9.2%, volume fell 10.6% and average price per unit increased 1.6%. Both categories recorded declines in spending and quantity sold, alongside higher average unit prices.

Dollar sales measure spending, while volume tracks the amount sold. Those measures moved by different amounts in each category: volume fell more sharply than dollar sales. The figures show what happened across the two tracked categories, but do not explain why shoppers bought less.

The candy and chewing gum consumer price index rose 7.7% over the 12 months ending in September 2026. Food-at-home prices increased 1.8% over the same period. These CPI figures cover a different window from the candy sales and volume data, which run through Oct. 15. The comparisons show higher prices over the September CPI period alongside lower candy volumes through mid-October, but do not establish that price increases caused the declines.

A survey conducted Sept. 1-9 among 7,889 consumers projected $4.1 billion in Halloween candy spending, with 96% planning to buy sweets. That figure reflects planned spending, not completed purchases or measured sales. It therefore describes consumer intentions rather than a later tally of how much candy shoppers bought.

Candy sales on the day before Halloween and Halloween itself have historically reached about 1.5 to two times a typical October day’s level. That historical comparison concerns activity around the holiday; the category figures here stop at Oct. 15 and do not cover those days.