If a newly released study is to be believed, Halloween sales won’t be frightening any retailers this year.

The average shopper plans to spend $24.25 on candy this year, up from $22.05 last year and $19.21 in 2009, according to data released the National Retail Federation 2012 Halloween consumer spending survey conducted by BIGinsight.

Overall, consumers are expected to spend $79.82 on decorations, costumes and candy, up from $72.31 last year, with total Halloween spending expected to reach $8.0 billion. About 71% of Americans are planning to celebrate the holiday this year, up from 68.6% last year and the most in NRF’s 10-year survey history.

Of those with the Halloween spirit, 75.7% plan to hand out candy, up from 73.5% last year; and 33.2% plan to take their children trick-or-treating, up from 32.9% last year.

While, 25.9% of consumers say the state of the economy will impact their Halloween plans, that’s down from 32.1% who said the same thing last year. And, when it comes to candy, even though 36.1% of those surveyed said the state of the economy would result in them buying less sweets, that’s down from the 40.2% who said the same thing last year.
 

 “By the time Halloween rolls around each year it’s safe to say Americans have already spent two months preparing for one of the fastest-growing and most widely-loved holidays of the year,” says Matthew Shay, NRF president and ceo. “We expect retailers to stock their shelves well ahead of time to capture the attention of eager holiday shoppers.”