Here Are The Most Popular Halloween Costumes Of 2024, According To A New Survey

It’s the most wonderful time of the year — the time when abandoned storefronts are reanimated to become Spirit Halloween stores. Yes, spooky season is officially upon us, and with it comes the all-important question: what will you, or your kid, dress up as for the big night?

If you’re struggling to come up with a Halloween costume idea, the National Retail Federation’s new survey might help. The survey revealed the top ten costumes for this Halloween, so you can hop on the trend, or know what to avoid if you don’t want to unintentionally twin with other trick-or-treaters.

The NFR survey has collected data on consumers’ Halloween habits for over a decade. This year, the organization predicts Americans will spend $11.6 billion on Halloween, a slight decline from 2023’s record spending, which soared to $12.2 billion.

Although spending is down this year, consumers are now more likely to start their spooky season shopping early, with 47 percent of survey participants starting their shopping before October.

“Interest in early Halloween shopping continues to be dominated by the 25-34 age group, with 56% of shoppers in this group kicking off their shopping before October,” Prosper Executive Vice President of Strategy Phil Rist said. “Their love of the holiday is a key factor in this trend, with nearly half of this segment sharing that they plan to shop early because Halloween is their favorite holiday.”

The NFR predicts that Americans will spend the most on costumes and decorations, with both expected to reach $3.8 billion.

So, what costumes are we all buying?

The top children’s costume this year is Spider-Man, which topped the charts last year as well. Kind of unsurprising, since we learned from Into the Spider-verse that there’s an unlimited number of variations on the classic Spidey, so it’s a costume that any kid can make their own.

Ghost and princess follow behind Spider-Man in the children’s category.

For adults, a witch retains the number one spot from last year, too. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!

Vampire and cat take the second and third spots. Beetlejuice also made a new appearance in the top ten, likely spurred by the 2024 sequel.

And, of course, don’t forget about pets. What better to dress up your little pumpkin as than a little pumpkin! Pumpkin also ranked in the number one spot of the pet category last year.

Here are the top 10 costumes of 2024, per the NFR survey:

Children costumes:

1. Spider-Man
2. Ghost
3. Princess
4. Witch
5. Superhero
6. Batman
7. Vampire
8. Pumpkin
9. Disney Princess
10. Superman

Adult costumes:

1. Witch
2. Vampire
3. Cat
4. Batman
5. Pirate
6. Ghost
7. Clown
8. Spider-Man
9. Zombie
10. Beetlejuice

Pet costumes:

1. Pumpkin
2. Hot dog
3. Bat
4. Ghost
5. Bumblebee
6. Cat
7. Spider
8. Witch
9. Lion
10. Devil/demon

Read the entire survey here.