PAYING FOR IT. THE DECORATIONS MAY SPOOK THE SAME IN EAST SACRAMENTO, BUT BEHIND THE GHOULS AND COBWEBS, NEIGHBORS SAY A DIFFERENT SCARE IS LURKING. CANDY IS EXPENSIVE THIS YEAR. YEAH, PRICES HAVE GONE UP. LONGTIME RESIDENT PATTY FRENCH HAS BEEN HANDING OUT CANDY IN EAST SACRAMENTO FOR MORE THAN 40 YEARS, AND ALL THE BAGS. 1983 TO 2025. THAT MEANS ALSO A LOT OF CANDY, A LOT OF CANDY. AND IT’S NOT ALL FOR HER, BUT FOR THE SCARES SHE HAS COMING. LAST YEAR WE HAD OVER 1000 KIDS AND THEY STARTED ABOUT 4:00. HOW MUCH DID YOU SPEND? IF YOU DON’T MIND ME ASKING? ALMOST $200. AND SHE’S NOT ALONE. DATA FROM A HEARST. GET THE FACTS DATA TEAM SHOWS AN INCREASE NATIONWIDE IN HALLOWEEN. CANDY WITH CHOCOLATE LIKE HERSHEY’S KISSES UP 69% THESE PAST FIVE YEARS. AND CHOCOLATE LOLLIPOPS LIKE TOOTSIE ROLL POPS UP 14% DUE TO TARIFFS AND INFLATION. NEIL CORDERO IS WELL AWARE OF THE PRICE HIKE. AFTER ALL, HE BOUGHT HIS HOUSE KNOWING THE RESPONSIBILITIES THAT COME WITH IT. THEY WARNED US. THEY DISCLOSED THAT WHEN WE BOUGHT IT THAT WE WERE GOING TO GET INUNDATED FOR HALLOWEEN. CORDERO SAYS HE GOES TO SAVEMART TO CUT BACK ON THE COSTS, BUT THE PRICE MORE THAN WE SHOULD HAVE. PROBABLY CHOCOLATES GONE UP, TOO. IT’S ALL IT’S ALL MORE EXPENSIVE. BUT BUT IT’S WORTH IT. I MEAN, IF YOU’RE GOING TO TOUCH POTENTIALLY 2000 PEOPLE IN A NIGHT, YOU WANT TO DO IT RIGHT. AND A KEY INGREDIENT IN SOME OF THESE CANDIES IS COCOA BEANS. THAT HAS BEEN HIT WITH TARIFFS AND BAD HARVESTS IN COUNTRIES LIKE GHANA AND IVORY COAST, RAISING PRICES AND ALSO SHRINKING PACKAGES KNOWN AS SHRINKFLATION IN SACRAMENTO CORTEZ, KCRA THREE NEWS. OUR HEARST DATA TEAM FOUND AMERICANS WILL SPEND $3.9 BILLION FOR HALLOWEEN CANDY. THAT’
Candy prices climb ahead of Halloween, hitting Sacramento shoppers
Locals say they’re paying more to keep Halloween traditions alive despite inflation and global supply strains.
Updated: 7:48 PM PDT Oct 30, 2025
Sacramento residents are feeling the pinch of rising candy prices this Halloween, with inflation, tariffs and global cocoa shortages driving up costs.Longtime resident Patty French, who has been handing out candy for more than 40 years, said she’s noticed a clear difference.“Candy is expensive this year,” French said. “Prices have really gone up.”A study from Hearst’s Get the Facts Data Team shows Halloween candy prices are climbing nationwide. Chocolate treats such as Hershey’s Kisses are up 69% over the past five years, while chocolate lollipops like Tootsie Roll Pops have increased 14%.In East Sacramento, resident Neil Cordeiro said he’s also feeling the impact, even while trying to save.“Chocolate’s gone up too. It’s all more expensive,” Cordeiro said.Still, he says the splurge is worth it.“If you’re going to touch potentially 2,000 people in a night, you want to do it right,” Cordeiro said. Experts say cocoa bean prices have surged due to poor harvests in the Ivory Coast and 10% tariffs on bean imports in Ghana. The result: higher prices at the register and smaller portions on store shelves — a trend many consumers call “shrinkflation.”Despite the sticker shock, local residents say they’ll keep the tradition alive — even if it means fewer chocolate bars in the candy bowl.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channelPHNjcmlwdCB0eXBlPSJ0ZXh0L2phdmFzY3JpcHQiPiFmdW5jdGlvbigpeyJ1c2Ugc3RyaWN0Ijt3aW5kb3cuYWRkRXZlbnRMaXN0ZW5lcigibWVzc2FnZSIsKGZ1bmN0aW9uKGUpe2lmKHZvaWQgMCE9PWUuZGF0YVsiZGF0YXdyYXBwZXItaGVpZ2h0Il0pe3ZhciB0PWRvY3VtZW50LnF1ZXJ5U2VsZWN0b3JBbGwoImlmcmFtZSIpO2Zvcih2YXIgYSBpbiBlLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdKWZvcih2YXIgcj0wO3I8dC5sZW5ndGg7cisrKXtpZih0W3JdLmNvbnRlbnRXaW5kb3c9PT1lLnNvdXJjZSl0W3JdLnN0eWxlLmhlaWdodD1lLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdW2FdKyJweCJ9fX0pKX0oKTs8L3NjcmlwdD4=
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
Sacramento residents are feeling the pinch of rising candy prices this Halloween, with inflation, tariffs and global cocoa shortages driving up costs.
Longtime resident Patty French, who has been handing out candy for more than 40 years, said she’s noticed a clear difference.
“Candy is expensive this year,” French said. “Prices have really gone up.”
A study from Hearst’s Get the Facts Data Team shows Halloween candy prices are climbing nationwide. Chocolate treats such as Hershey’s Kisses are up 69% over the past five years, while chocolate lollipops like Tootsie Roll Pops have increased 14%.
In East Sacramento, resident Neil Cordeiro said he’s also feeling the impact, even while trying to save.
“Chocolate’s gone up too. It’s all more expensive,” Cordeiro said.
Still, he says the splurge is worth it.
“If you’re going to touch potentially 2,000 people in a night, you want to do it right,” Cordeiro said.
Experts say cocoa bean prices have surged due to poor harvests in the Ivory Coast and 10% tariffs on bean imports in Ghana. The result: higher prices at the register and smaller portions on store shelves — a trend many consumers call “shrinkflation.”
Despite the sticker shock, local residents say they’ll keep the tradition alive — even if it means fewer chocolate bars in the candy bowl.
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel