We ship a lot of things here at HalloweenCostumes.com. Costumes, obviously. Over 12,000 of them, in every size and style we can design. But also decorations. Animatronics. The occasional box so heavy it makes our warehouse team in Mankato, Minnesota do a double-take on the way to the loading dock.
So we got curious.
We pulled our own shipping records and asked one simple question: what's the single heaviest order we've ever sent to each state? Not the average. Not the total. The record-holder. The heaviest box, by state, in HalloweenCostumes.com history.
What we found says a lot about how differently — and how big — people go for Halloween depending on where they live. Here's the breakdown.
The Heaviest Orders, By State
217.96 lbs - Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Washington
135.05 lbs - Texas
131.45 lbs - California, Georgia, Idaho, South Carolina
110.95 lbs - Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Massachusetts, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah, Wisconsin
109.98 lbs - Arizona
99.45 lbs - Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Virginia, West Virginia
71.94 lbs - New Hampshire, South Dakota
71.28 lbs - Wyoming
67.56 lbs - North Dakota
66.04 lbs - Vermont
60.89 lbs - Alaska, Hawaii
Eight states share the top record, at 217.96 lbs. That's more than double what most of the country tops out at.
So what's going on up there? Let's dig in.
Go Big or Go Home
Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, and Washington. Eight states, one shared record: 217.96 lbs.
When a single order climbs that high, there's usually one culprit: animatronics. Life-sized haunts. Full animated setups. Some of the heaviest things we ship, boxes and all. Which means these eight states are doing a bit more than just a simple spooky decoration scene. They're turning their homes in to full-on attractions.
Why these states, though? A few things are likely feeding it.
Proximity helps a lot. Our fulfillment center sits in Mankato, Minnesota, and heavier freight tends to travel easier — and cheaper — the closer it stays to home.
But that's not the whole story. Look closer at that list and a pattern starts to form. Minnesota. Michigan. Ohio. Indiana. Iowa. That's five Midwest states, right there at the top, all sharing the same all-time record. It's clear that the Midwest is diving into spooky season spirit head first. Tennessee, North Carolina, and Washington, seem to be following the same pattern. These are states that don't just put out a pumpkin and call it a night. They go all-in. And when they go all-in, they go big with animatronics and inflatable decorations.
The Lighter End of the Scale
Now flip to the bottom of the list, and a different story starts to take shape. Alaska and Hawaii hold the record for the lightest "heaviest order," at just 60.89 lbs. Shipping to non-contiguous states costs more. Bigger, heavier packages get expensive fast. So lighter orders tend to win out — for the customer's wallet as much as anything else.
Vermont, North Dakota, and South Dakota round out the rest of the featherweight tier. No mystery here, either — smaller populations simply mean fewer orders overall, and fewer orders mean fewer chances for a true outlier to show up in the data.
Where Does Your State Stack Up?
At the end of the day, this isn't really about shipping weight. It's about how far people are willing to go for Halloween, and now you know exactly where your state lands.
If you're in Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, or Washington: nice work. You're setting the bar. Whatever's landing on your doorstep, it's clearly not messing around, and the rest of the country has some catching up to do.
And if your state is sitting further down the list? Consider this your sign. Maybe it's time to start taking Halloween a little more seriously with some animatronics and inflatables!
So, does your state go big for Halloween, or is it time to change that? Tell us about your heaviest, most ambitious Halloween order in the comments. We want to hear just how far you took it.
So, does your state go big for Halloween?
Tell us about your heaviest, most ambitious Halloween order in the comments. We want to hear just how far you took it.
