For many folks along the East Coast, Halloween will (at the very least) be postponed, thanks to the very real terror of Super Storm Sandy. I know all of us keep these folks in their thoughts.
And the rest of us? For the most part, tonight marks a very strange annual tradition here in the U.S.: going door to door in costume, asking for free candy. To mark the occasion, I’ve collected some scary statistics about the night of tricks and treats. Read at your own risk! Bwa-ha-ha-ha! (Um… that’s my attempt at an evil laugh.)
170 million: The number of people who plan to celebrate Halloween in the U.S. (National Retail Federation)
$79.82: The average spent on costumes, decorations and candy this year. (National Retail Federation)
$113 million: The total value of pumpkin crops in the three top pumpkin-producing states (Agricultural Marketing Resource Center)
1,818: Number of pounds weighed by the largest pumpkin on record. (Guinness World Records)
15.2: The percent of costume ideas that come from Facebook. (National Retail Federation)
15.1: The percent of people that will dress their pet in a costume. (National Retail Federation)
0: The percent of pets that enjoy this tradition. (Just a guess)
6: Number of times I went trick-or-treating as a “hobo,” because I was too lazy to do much else. (Personal data)
268: The population of Skull Creek, Nebraska — named for “A LOT” of buffalo skulls and bones found in a nearby creek. (U.S. Census)
1690: The number of pieces of candy that will fill an average-sized pillow case. (www.myscienceproject.org)
41: The percent of adults who admit eating candy from their own candy bowl between trick-or-treaters. (National Candy Association)
90: The percent of parents who admit stealing from their kids’ trick-or-treat stash. (National Candy Association)
99.9: The percent of parents who actually steal candy from their kids’ trick-or-treat stash. (Just a guess)
30: The percent of kids who sort their candy before digging in. (National Candy Association)
0: Number of kids who would rather get a toothbrush than candy, while trick or treating. (Just a guess)
Happy Halloween, everyone! Just one last word of warning: Watch out for the zombies. (Here’s how math can help you plan during a zombie apocalypse.)
What are your Halloween plans?