There's always talk about the average amount spent during back-to-school season and the holiday season, but what about Halloween? You may be surprised at how it adds up.

Halloween is a billion dollar business.Yes, B...billion.

The National Retail Federation reports that this year people spent about $9 billion on costumes, candy, decorations and more.

Wow.

So how does that break down per person?

It means the average American spent about $86.79 on everything for Halloween. That's up slightly from last year's $86.13 per person.

Clearly some people spend much more than others. And the photos from our Monster Mash last week at White's of Westport show some people really get into the costume side of things.

Add kid and pet costumes too and it's not that hard to see how Halloween can become a pretty pricey holiday for some.

And these figures don't even include any haunted attractions, pumpkin patches or other festive fall activities you may be getting into throughout October as well.

Of course you can always just hold out for November 1 and stock up on the candy and costumes at half-price for next year.

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