As the days get shorter, and the nights become cooler, and pumpkins are appearing on porches across America, it can only mean one thing: Halloween is near! Homeowners are embracing spooky season by decking out their homes with everything from classic carved pumpkins to elaborate haunted house displays.
At Lombardo Homes, we know that every season brings new memories to create at home. That’s why, for our fifth annual Halloween study, we analyzed Google trends on Halloween décor to reveal each state’s favorite decoration. We also surveyed more than 1,000 Americans to see how they decorate, how much they spend, and how they celebrate Halloween in 2025.
Once again, Utah tops the states nationwide for decorating the most in 2025! While Utah has ranked number one for three years in a row, their favorite decoration has changed to pumpkins this year. Pumpkins are also the favorite in Colorado, New Jersey, Texas, and California!
In 2025, Vermont, Wyoming, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire round out the top five states decorating the most for Halloween! Top decorations in these states are spiders, ghosts, and bats!
While states like Vermont, Rhode Island, and Arkansas climbed in the rankings compared to 2024, others seem to have lost some of their Halloween spirit in 2025. North Carolina, Florida, and Texas all slipped down the list. Arizona saw the biggest drop of all, falling from 38th place last year all the way down to 50th in 2025.
Now that we know which states go all out for Halloween in 2025, what about major cities? We analyzed Google Trends to find out which cities will be decorating the most… and which are decorating the least.
Portland takes the crown in 2025 as the city that decorates the most for Halloween. Baltimore follows close behind in second place, climbing from its number 6 spot last year. Rounding out the top five are Nashville, Indianapolis, and Las Vegas!
New York City lands at the bottom of the 2025 rankings, decorating the least for Halloween this year. Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Phoenix also join the list of cities showing less festive spirit.
Top 10 Decorations in the U.S.:
When it comes to favorites, Americans are embracing the classics for their home in 2025. Pumpkins take the top spot as the most popular Halloween decoration.
But not all décor sparks joy. When asked which Halloween decorations they find most annoying, Americans didn’t hold back. Loud or noisy decorations, like screaming ghosts and motion-activated sounds, ranked number one. Strobe and flashing lights came in second, followed by inflatables, overly gory displays, and fake spider webs.
Rounding out the top 10 most annoying decorations include creepy clowns, animatronics, giant skeletons, graveyard scenes, and excessive pumpkins.
Americans are even more eager to show their spooky spirit in 2025, with 87% saying they’ll decorate for Halloween this year, up from 82% in 2024. On average, Americans spend about four hours decorating their homes.
One tradition that continues to hold strong is pumpkin carving, with 55% of Americans planning to carve pumpkins this season.
When Americans choose to decorate varies, but most aren’t waiting long. Nearly 1 in 5 will start before October 1, while 36% will deck out their homes during the first week of October. Another 15% will decorate during the second week, 15% during the third, and 13% will wait until the final week leading up to Halloween.
Even with excitement high, budgets are tighter this year. Americans will spend $99 on their decor this year, which is down from last year. Nearly half (49%) of Americans say they’ll spend less on Halloween decorations and candy in 2025 due to inflation.
Still, when it comes to style, scary décor reigns supreme: 55% prefer spooky decorations, 41% opt for fun or cutesy aesthetics, and only 4% go for the gory look.
While traditional trick-or-treating continues to be the most popular Halloween activity, 47% of Americans say they’ve noticed fewer trick-or-treaters within the last 5 years, suggesting the way we celebrate Halloween might be slowly changing.
As for when the decorations come down, 79% take down their decor within a week of Halloween. Another 11% wait until the second week, 3% until the third, 5% keep decorations up through the end of November or December, and 2% admit they never take them down at all.
In September 2025 we analyzed over 7,000 Google search terms related to Halloween decorations and buying themed décor to complete this study. We looked at search volume per capita averages over the past 12 months for state and city-level data.
In September 2025, we also surveyed 1,004 Americans to learn more about their decorating and celebrating habits. Respondents were 49% male, 49% female, and 2% non-binary/prefer not to say. Ages ranged from 18 to 75, with an average age of 43.
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