Candy projected to be at the center of this year's Easter spending despite rising prices
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Easter egg ideas that aren't candy
Create an easter egg hunt without the sugar crash.
Inflation, tariffs and a volatile stock market may be causing the average American consumer anxiety daily, but they still aren't stopping people from indulging in a sweet Easter this year.
Even in the face of looming economic uncertainty, Easter spending is expected to go up in 2025, according to a recent National Retail Federation (NRF) report. Shoppers plan to spend a total of $23.6 billion on Easter this year, up from last year's $22.4 billion and approaching the record high of $24 billion in 2023.
The biggest area of spending is not eggs, despite the volatile marketing resulting in high prices, but candy, which is projected to account for $3.3 billion in spending.
It seems that while Americans may be willing to reach for cheaper alternatives to eggs for dyeing, they are not about to let a year pass without getting their hands on a Peep or Cadbury Cream Egg.
Easter shoppers plan to make candy their number one purchase this year
The NRF's survey found that the largest intended spending category was candy, accounting for 92% of planned purchases. The general category of "food" followed at 89%, trailed by gifts at 65%, decorations at 51% and clothing at 49%.
The overwhelming majority of Americans who celebrate the holiday (92%) do so with the assistance of candy, according to another report by the National Confectioners Association (NCA). The top sweet treats bought for the holiday include chocolate eggs or bunnies, jelly beans, candy-coated eggs and marshmallow candy.
Chocolate reigns supreme despite rising costs
The most-loved and most-purchased category of candy around Easter is chocolate. According to the NCA, 89% of people who make Easter baskets include chocolate and candy, with the most popular items of all being chocolate bunnies and chocolate eggs.
These themed chocolate treats account for 29% of Easter Basket items, with 90 million chocolate bunnies being sold per year, according to an April WalletHub report. Other favorites include jelly beans (25%) and Peeps (14%), according to WalletHub.
The NCA also settled a time-honored debate in their survey, reporting that 77% of Americans prefer to eat their chocolate bunny's ears first, while only 16% go feet-first and a lonely 6% start at the tail.
Don't expect stocking up on chocolate to be cheap this year, however. On top of prices that are anticipated to rise due to trade tariffs, chocolate makers were already battling with rising cocoa prices.
As of April 16, the price of cocoa is $8,400 per ton, up from prices that hovered in the $2,000 range at the same time in 2023. Cocoa prices have been marching steadily upward in recent years due to droughts and dry weather, resulting in crop shortages. Cocoa requires tropical conditions to thrive, meaning the U.S. relies heavily on importing the commodity, and 70% of the world's supply is grown in West Africa. Last year alone, the Ivory Coast and Ghana produced almost 3 million tons.
Changing temperatures and drier conditions have and continue to impact the prices of the raw materials central to making chocolate. And, even with Donald Trump's targeted "reciprocal" tariffs on many countries currently paused for 90 days, the blanket 10% tariff still has the potential to drive prices up even further.
If the previously scheduled tariffs were to resume at the same planned rate after the pause, the biggest producers of cocoa, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Indonesia and Ecuador, would be hit with 21%, 10%, 32% and 10%, respectively.
How much are Easter candy favorites this year?
When it comes to beloved Easter candy, the size variety means a lot of price variety. While prices will vary from store to store, state to state and city to city, online price tags show that some affordable options are out there.
At Walmart, for example, a chocolate bunny can range from as little as $1.36 to more than $12, depending on size and brand. Target offers a similar price range of $1.49 to a little over $12, while Walgreens ranges from $1.50 to just shy of $13.
At Walmart, Peeps range in price from $1.47 to $13, versus $2.69 to $8.00 at Target and $1.12 to $7.50 at Walgreens, again depending on size.
Jelly beans of different brands, varieties and bag sizes run from $1.64 up to $14 at Walmart, $2.99 to $13 at Target and $1.99 to $15 at Walgreens.
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