Halloween Fun Facts

Welcome to October! The ghosts, ghouls and other creepy things already are starting to pop up in the neighborhood! People are ready for some spook-tacular fun!! As the bats begin to invade your belfry, and the monsters begin to mash on your lawn, check out these fun facts from the U.S. Census Bureau

Halloween, which dates back to Celtic rituals thousands of years ago, has long been associated with images of witches, ghosts and vampires. Over the years, Halloween customs have changed dramatically. Today, Halloween is celebrated many different ways, including wearing costumes, children trick-or-treating, carving pumpkins, and going to haunted houses and parties.

Trick or Treat!

41 million The estimated number of potential trick-or-treaters in 2011 — children age 5 to 14 — across the United States. Of course, many other children — older than 14 and younger than 5 — also go trick-or-treating. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates http://www.census.gov/popest/data/national/asrh/2011/index.html. 

132 millionNumber of occupied housing units across the nation in 2011 — all potential stops for trick-or-treaters. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates http://www.census.gov/popest/data/housing/totals/2011/index.html.

Jack-o'-Lanterns and Pumpkin Pies

$113 millionValue of pumpkins harvested from the top six pumpkin-producing states, Illinois, California, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan in 2011. Source: Agricultural Marketing Resource Center http://www.agmrc.org/commodities__products/vegetables/pumpkins.cfm.

Where to Spend Halloween?

Some places around the country that may put you in the Halloween mood are:

Transylvania County, N.C. (population 32,820)
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2011 Population Estimates
http://www.census.gov/popest/data/counties/totals/2011/CO-EST2011-01.html

Tombstone, Ariz. (population 1,396)
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2011 Population Estimates
http://www.census.gov/popest/data/cities/totals/2011/SUB-EST2011-3.html

Pumpkin Center, N.C. (population 2,222); and Pumpkin Bend, Ark. (population 276)
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census, Table DP-1
http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml

Cape Fear in New Hanover County, N.C. (population 18,388); and Cape Fear in Chatham County, N.C. (population 1,323).
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census, Table DP-1
http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml

Skull Creek, Neb. (population 268)
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2011 Population Estimates
http://www.census.gov/popest/data/cities/totals/2011/SUB-EST2011-4.html

Candy and Costumes

1,155 Number of U.S. manufacturing establishments that produced chocolate and cocoa products in 2010, employing 35,074 people. Pennsylvania led the nation in the number of chocolate and cocoa manufacturing establishments, with 102, followed byCalifornia, with 100.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns: 2010, NAICS codes (31132 & 31133), http://www.census.gov/econ/cbp/.

409Number of U.S. establishments that manufactured non-chocolate confectionery products in 2010. These establishments employed 17,526 people. California led the nation in this category, with 49 establishments.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns: 2010, NAICS code (31134), http://censtats.census.gov/cgi-bin/cbpnaic/cbpsect.pl.

1,634Number of costume rental and formal wear establishments across the nation in 2010.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 County Business Patterns, NAICS code (53222),
http://censtats.census.gov/cgi-bin/cbpnaic/cbpsect.pl.

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