jessica.kerman@heraldbulletin.com

It’s almost scary to think about how much Americans will spend on Halloween this year. According to a National Retail Federation survey of more than 8,000 people, consumers in the United States will spend an average of $62.54 this year on Halloween. In 2006, the average consumer spent $59.06 in preparation for the holiday. The total for Halloween spending will be more than $5 billion, according to the retail group.

Most of that money will be spent on costumes, according to the survey. What is the largest growing trend? Pet costumes.

According to the research, one in 10 people, or 7.4 million households, will dress a pet for Halloween. The most popular costume, at 12 percent, is a devil.

Jason Harris, manager of Halloween Express, a seasonal store in Mounds Mall, said the store had a few pet costumes in the store, but the trend is “not super popular” in Anderson.

While Halloween Express does have some elaborate children’s costumes, the store specializes in adult costumes. Who could blame them? According to the retail survey, 18- to 24-year-olds spend an average of $81.91 on costumes, candy and decorations.

Beth Beuoy, 18, of Pendleton estimated she and her family spent more than $150 on decorations for their Halloween party last year. Beuoy dressed as a pirate and spent $75 on her costume alone.

“It’s my favorite holiday,” she said. “I love dressing up. If I could, I’d dress up all year.”

Pirate costumes are the most popular costume for women at Halloween Express, Harris said. Leg Avenue, the largest costume manufacturer, has more than a dozen variations of pirate costumes for women.

“It’s not really about scary anymore,” Harris said. “Girls are all about cute and sexy. Guys go for funnier stuff.”

Bree Vibbert, 18, and Jordan Haymaker, 17, both from Pendleton, said they did not plan to spend as much on their costumes.

Haymaker said she wanted to dress as a go-go girl this year, and Vibbert plans to dress as a nun.

“I don’t want to spend a lot ’cause I’ll only wear it once,” Vibbert said. “But, I want to leave an impression.”

The women said they would try to find things in their closets or at Goodwill instead of going to a specialty shop.

“I’ll probably spend $10 on makeup,” Vibbert said.

About 60 percent of consumers will celebrate Halloween in some way, most spending the evening handing out candy.

Halloween still falls behind Valentine’s Day, Easter and Christmas when it comes to spending. Christmas is still by far the largest holiday for spending, with a $474.5 billion season projected by the National Retail Federation.