CANDY, COSTUMES AND CAVITIES



   From pumpkin farmers to confectioners to costume shops and beyond, Halloween is big business in the U.S.--generating nearly $6 billion annually in retail sector alone.  We dig into the numbers to show where the big money is spent, on everything from national charities to neighborhood dentists.

• 36 million-Number of trick-or-treat aged kids 5 to 13 in the U.S.

• 93%-Percentage of children who get to dress up and go door to door.

• $5.77 billion-Total spent in 2008 on Halloween, including candy, parties and witches' brew.

• $140 million-Money Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF has raised since 1950.

• 51.8 million-Number of adults who don their sexy nurse, pimp or pirate outfits on Halloween.

• 73.4%-Percentage of households that say they will dish out treats on Halloween (26.6%: Number of households just asking for a nasty trick)

• 28%-Number of children, aged 2 to 5, who will get cavities.

• 1.1 billion-Pounds of pumpkins decorated, turned into pie and smashed in the U.S. each year.