Even with Halloween coming, most of us feel perfectly safe walking around the neighborhood after dark, the U.S. Census Bureau says. A whopping 78% of U.S. residents say there’s no place within a mile of their homes where they would be afraid to walk alone at night. And 92% of households consider their neighborhood safe.
No word from Census, however, on whether that safety would extend to home owners who lack candy to give to trick-or-treaters. An estimated 36 million kids knocked on the doors across the United States last Halloween, up about 190,000 from the prior year, Census says.
Halloween by the numbers
- 931 million pounds: Production of U.S. pumpkins ready to be turned into Jack-o’-Lanterns and pies.
- 24.3 pounds: Burp! Per capita candy eaten by Americans in 2009.
- 1,814: Number of costume rental and formal wear shops where you can rent this year’s getup.
- 1,317: Number of U.S. chocolate companies. California has 146, Pennsylvania has 115.
- 16,860: number of people making candy for a living at the nation’s 422 nonchocolate candy companies.
Where to spend Halloween?
Still not in a Halloween mood? Maybe you need a trip to:
- Transylvania County, N.C.
Source: Census Bureau