While it may not command the kind of spending that characterizes Christmas or back-to-school, Halloween still has consumers opening their wallets wide to mark the ghost-and-goblin season.

According to the National Retail Federation, spending for Halloween this year is expected to reach $13.1 billion — a record amount. The largest chunks will go for costumes ($4.3 billion) and decorations ($4.2 billion), with candy not far behind ($3.9 billion); greeting cards bring up the rear ($700 million).

The numbers come from a survey of more than 8,000 adults conducted in early September by Prosper Insights & Analytics. The data are not adjusted for inflation.

On an average per-person basis, Halloween ranks in the lower half of the dozen “spending events” tracked by NRF. At a projected $114.45 this year, per-person Halloween........

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