Ran out? Print a door sign
Tape it to the door, turn off the porch light, done.
Out of candy.
Sorry, and happy Halloween!
We'll be back at
plusbeauxjours.com/candy
Tape it to the door, turn off the porch light, done.
Out of candy.
Sorry, and happy Halloween!
We'll be back at
plusbeauxjours.com/candy
A rule of thumb, not a prediction for your street.
Buy about2 to 3 fun-size pieces per trick-or-treater, in large variety bags of about 150 pieces at around $6.50 a bag. Everything is rounded up, so the top of the range means you won't run out.Estimate
150-piece bags, or 9–13 lb
Estimate: buy about 2 to 3 bags of candy, 220 to 330 pieces, for about 110 trick-or-treaters. Cost about $13 to $20.
Data sourcesdailydealhere.com candy calculator (opens in a new tab)Neighborhood bands, pieces per pound, bag sizeFarmers' Almanac: Halloween candy is expensive this year. Here's how much you actually need. (opens in a new tab)Pieces per childFarmers' Almanac: When is Halloween 2026? (opens in a new tab)Halloween 2026 is a SaturdayNational Retail Federation: NRF Halloween survey shows consumer spending expected to reach $13.5 billion (opens in a new tab)2026 Halloween spending, candy spendingChecked
This calculator answers one question before you shop: how many bags of Halloween candy to buy. It runs on four rules of thumb, each shown as a range, because none of them is a measurement of your street. Everything is computed in your browser; nothing you pick is sent anywhere.
No national survey counts trick-or-treaters, so we use the rule-of-thumb bands that candy guides quote, and start from the middle of the band for a 2.5-hour evening (about 5:30 to 8 pm):
| Neighborhood | Per night | We start at |
|---|---|---|
| Rural | 0 to 25 | 12 Estimate |
| Apartment or condo20 to 60 if your building organizes trick-or-treating; close to 0 if it doesn't. | 20 to 60 | 40 Estimate |
| Suburban street | 50 to 150 | 100 Estimate |
| Halloween street | 150 to 400 | 275 Estimate |
More hours means more visitors in proportion, but never outside the band: handing out for 5 hours on a suburban street still tops out around 150, because hours mostly change when kids come, not how many live nearby.
Halloween 2026 falls on a Saturday, the first Saturday Halloween since 2020 and the next one isn't until 2037. Towns such as Normal, Illinois have published Saturday evening hours, and Arlington, Virginia notes there is no rush-hour traffic this year. No study measures how many more kids a Saturday brings, so we add a flat 10% and label it a guess, not a measurement. It never pushes a street above its band's ceiling.
Guides agree on 2 to 3 fun-size pieces per child (the Farmers' Almanac suggests 2 as a starting point; some food blogs go up to 5). We show both ends of 2 to 3 rather than one false-precise number.
A large fun-size variety bag holds about 150 pieces, and fun-size chocolate runs about 25 to 30 pieces a pound (we use 27). For cost we assume about $6.50 a bag; prices vary by store and brand. Pieces, bags, pounds and dollars always round up, so following the top of the range means you won't run out.
A suburban street for 2.5 hours: 100 trick-or-treaters × 1.10 = 110. At 2 to 3 pieces each, that is 220–330 pieces. Divided by 150 a bag, that is 1.5 to 2.2 bags, rounded up to 2–3 bags, about 9–13 pounds, for roughly $13–$20.
Quite. Two houses on the same block can see very different crowds: a corner lot, a good porch display or a cul-de-sac changes everything. Use the range as a shopping list, not a forecast, and if a neighbor has done it before, trust them over us.
National context only. These are published facts, kept apart from the estimate above: a national average says nothing about your porch.
Source: National Retail Federation 2026 Halloween survey (opens in a new tab) (Sept 22, 2026) and Farmers' Almanac (opens in a new tab). Checked .
Nobody counts trick-or-treaters nationally, so the honest answer is “ask a neighbor who did it last year.” As a rule of thumb, rural homes with long driveways see 0 to 25 kids a night, a suburban street 50 to 150, an apartment building 20 to 60 if it joins in (close to none if it doesn't), and a well-known Halloween street 150 to 400.
Plan on 2 to 3 fun-size pieces per trick-or-treater. A suburban street with about 110 visitors needs 220 to 330 pieces, which is 2 to 3 large variety bags of about 150 pieces, or roughly 9 to 13 pounds. Some guides suggest up to 5 pieces per child if you like to be generous.
Because every input is a rule of thumb, not a measurement: how many kids come, how many pieces each one takes, and how many pieces are in a bag all vary. A single number like 2.4 bags would look precise and be wrong. A short range is the honest answer, and buying the top of it means you won't run out.
Turn off your porch light: in the US that is the common sign that a house is done for the night. You can also print our free “Out of candy” door sign. If you are worried about running out, buy the high end of the range; unopened bags keep for months.
Yes, probably a bit busier. October 31, 2026 is a Saturday, the first Saturday Halloween since 2020; the next one isn't until 2037. There's no school the next day, and some towns have published Saturday hours. No study measures how many more kids that brings, so we add a modest 10% and say plainly that it's a guess, not a measurement.
A large fun-size variety bag holds about 150 pieces. Fun-size chocolate runs about 25 to 30 pieces per pound; we use 27. Check the label: “pieces per bag” is printed on most variety packs.
We assume about $6.50 for a 150-piece bag; prices vary by store and brand. Candy and gum prices were up 8.1% in August from a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics data reported by Fox Business). Nationally, the NRF expects Americans to spend $4.1 billion on Halloween candy in 2026.
2026 Halloween spending, candy spending
$13.5 billion total (vs $13.1 billion in 2025); $4.1 billion on candy; 96% plan to buy candy; $115.14 per person.
National Retail Federation, Sep 22, 2026 (opens in a new tab) · Checked
How people celebrate
61% plan to hand out candy; $115.14 average spend per person (vs $114.45 in 2025).
Halloween 2026 is a Saturday
“Halloween 2026 falls on Saturday, October 31.” The last Saturday Halloween was in 2020; the next is in 2037.
Farmers' Almanac (opens in a new tab) · Checked
Pieces per child
“Two pieces per child is a practical starting point” for fun-size candy, plus a small cushion.
Farmers' Almanac, Oct 10, 2026 (opens in a new tab) · Checked
Neighborhood bands, pieces per pound, bag size
2 to 3 fun-size pieces per child; 25 to 30 pieces per pound; large variety bags of about 150 pieces; rural 0 to 25, suburban 50 to 150, apartments 20 to 60 (near zero if the building doesn't join in), dense streets 150 to 400 a night.
dailydealhere.com, Aug 29, 2026 (opens in a new tab) · Checked
Candy prices are up
Candy and gum prices rose 8.1% in August from a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics data).
Saturday hours (local example)
Official trick-or-treat hours 5 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31.
Town of Normal, Illinois, Sep 28, 2026 (opens in a new tab) · Checked
Saturday evening (local example)
Trick-or-treating usually runs from about 6 to 8 p.m.; this year kids won't share the streets with rush-hour traffic.
ARLnow (Arlington, Virginia), Oct 14, 2026 (opens in a new tab) · Checked
“Verified” means a published figure we read on the source page. “Rule of thumb” means a guide's estimate we use as an input. Last updated .