Halloween Costumes, Candy, Kids Festivities--By the Numbers

Halloween costumes are selling like hotcakes right now. Topping the children's costume list are superheros, princesses and some old favorites. Although stranger danger, candy safety, religious objections and the fear factor worry some parents, the trend to celebrate Halloween is growing. It's also a very lucrative holiday for merchandisers. Here's a look at Halloween facts and figures by the numbers.

* 41 million: The potential number of children ages 5-14 who went trick-or-treating in 2010, based on Census Bureau figures. This doesn't include children under age 5 or over 14 who participated in the two-hour evening trick-or-treat.

* 5 million: The increase in trick-or-treating children from 2008.

* $6.86 billion: the total sales for Halloween costumes, candy, decorations and greeting cards. That's an 18 percent jump from last year. That's high, but not enough to overtake Christmas sales of $27.4 billion.

* $1 billion: The amount spent on children's costumes. Costume sales account for a bigger piece of the Halloween spending pie than candy. Interestingly, one other Halloween item tops children's costume spending: adult costumes. Consumers are projected to spend $1.21 billion, or over 20 percent more on Halloween costumes? $310 million is spent on costumes for pets, too.

* $72.31: The per-capita spending for Halloween. This number is up, too. Last year, consumers spent $66.28 each and in 2009, $56.31 per person. This could reflect the increasing Consumer Price Index (CPI) and rising costs for similar items.

* $26.52: The average per-person amount spent on costumes. 18.9 percent of people make their own costumes, for themselves or children, as a way to save money.

* $21.05: The amount spent per person on Halloween candy. The average person ate 24.7 pounds of candy last year.

* $19.79: The average amount spent on indoor and outdoor decor, lighting and Halloween-themed props. An average of $5 per person is spent on Halloween greeting cards.

* 92 percent: The number of people that believe their neighborhood is safe for trick-or-treaters. 78 percent said they would feel comfortable taking children to homes in a one mile radius around their own homes. That trick-or-treat confidence level dropped one point from 2009.

* 69 percent: The portion of the population that will celebrate Halloween in 2011; this number is up from last year when only 65 percent participated.

* 32.9 percent: The number of people (mostly parents) who will take a child trick-or-treating.

* 73.5 percent: the number of people who will pass out candy to children. About 40 percent say they will spend less on candy this year, however.

* 49.5 percent of people decorate their homes.

* 1.1 billion: That's how many pumpkins are grown each year for Halloween. Illinois, California, Pennsylvania and New York are top pumpkin-growing locations.

* 20 million pounds: The amount of candy corn made and sold at Halloween.

* Top Halloween costumes: For 2011, children choose these costumes: princess, witch, Spiderman, pirate and pumpkin. Captain America is another hottie. Other Halloween costume favorites include: Disney's Cinderella and Little Mermaid, and for boys, Star Wars characters and Smurfs top the list. Sexy costumes are the favorite for women and spooks are preferred by men.