Halloween Facts and Stats From the U.S. Census
The 2015 Halloween “Facts For Features” compilation is loaded with interesting facts and data with each item linked to its source.
For example:
41.2 million
The estimated number of potential trick-or-treaters in 2014 — children age 5 to 14 — across the U.S. Of course, many other children — older than 14 and younger than 5 — also go trick-or-treating. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2014 Population Estimates, PEPASR6H <http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/PEP/2014/PEPASR6H?slice=year~est72014>
3,215
Number of U.S. confectionary and nut stores that sell candy and other confectionary products, employing 19,821 employees. This industry’s sales totaled $1.8 billion in 2012. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2012 Economic Census, NAICS 445292 <http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ECN/2012_US/44A1//naics~445292>
50,900
Acres of pumpkins harvested in the U.S. in 2013, with a total estimated production value of $149.9 million. Of the top six pumpkin-producing states, Illinois led the country by producing an estimated 547.6 million pounds of this vined gourd, followed by California, Ohio, Michigan, New York and then Pennsylvania. Pumpkins are frequently carved as decorations around Halloween. Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service, Page 9 and 38 <http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/current/VegeSumm/VegeSumm-01-29-2015.pdf>
The complete “Facts For Features” roundup and the infographic are available here. A PDF version is also available.
Filed under: Data Files, News, Roundup

About Gary Price
Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area. He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com.