U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Department of Labor Logo United States Department of Labor
Dot gov

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Haul-o-ween: sugar and confectionery products manufacturing

October 28, 2026

As trick-or-treat time approaches, the quest for the ultimate Halloween haul is nearly on. While the kids prepare for the big night, let’s look at the industries that produce the goodies they’ll soon be sifting through.

Chocolates are a favorite of many trick-or-treaters. Employment in the chocolate and confectionery manufacturing industry was 40,389 in March 2026. Around three-quarters of these workers were in confectionery manufacturing from purchased chocolate and the remaining quarter worked in chocolate and confectionery manufacturing from cacao beans.

Employment in sugar and confectionery products manufacturing by industry, private sector, March 2026
Industry Employment

Sugar and confectionery products manufacturing

81,324

Chocolate and confectionery manufacturing

40,389

Confectionery manufacturing from purchased chocolate

30,798

Chocolate and confectionery manufacturing from cacao beans

9,591

Nonchocolate confectionery manufacturing

27,602

Sugar manufacturing

13,333

Beet sugar manufacturing

6,700

Cane sugar manufacturing

6,633

Nonchocolate confectioneries, such as candied fruits and hard candies, also help fill pumpkin buckets and pillowcases. Nonchocolate confectionery manufacturing employed 27,602 workers in March 2026.

From chocolate bars to candy corn, sugar sweetens the night. Sugar manufacturing employment was 13,333, approximately evenly split between beet sugar manufacturing (6,700) and cane sugar manufacturing (6,633).

These data are from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages program and are preliminary. For more employment data for the nation, states, counties, and metropolitan areas, see our data viewer tool.

SUGGESTED CITATION

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Haul-o-ween: sugar and confectionery products manufacturing at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2026/haul-o-ween-sugar-and-confectionery-products-manufacturing.htm (visited October 28, 2026).