Government shutdown impact: By the numbers
The longest government shutdown in U.S. history ended late Wednesday, allowing observers to take stock of the impact it had on millions of everyday people and the economy as a whole.
Republicans and Democrats blamed each other for the weeks-long impasse, while some federal employees worked without pay and SNAP nutritional assistance recipients lost out on benefits. Air-traffic disruptions also caused thousands of flights to be canceled or delayed.
Here’s what to know about the government shutdown and its impact, by the numbers:
43 – Number of days the shutdown lasted, the longest ever. Since 1977, the U.S. government has failed to meet a funding deadline on 20 separate occasions, posting an average shutdown length of eight days, the Bank of America Institute said in a memo last month.
0.8% – Annualized inflation-adjusted gross domestic product (GDP) lost in the shutdown, according to accounting firm EY. For context, the economy grew by an average annualized rate of 1.6% over the first half of 2025, which means the shutdown wiped away economic growth equivalent to about half of that achieved over a preceding six-month period. Much of those losses will be recovered when government workers receive and spend back pay, economists previously told ABC News.
$11 billion – The amount of inflation-adjusted GDP permanently lost in the government shutdown, according to a forecast issued by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) late last month, in anticipation of a six-week impasse. These irrecoverable losses stem from fewer paid hours for furloughed government employees than they otherwise would have worked had the government been operating normally, the CBO said.
42 million – The approximate number of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients who lost their benefits during the shutdown, many of whom are low-income or older Americans. Payments are expected to resume within days.
670,000 – The approximate number of federal workers furloughed during the shutdown, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC). Roughly 730,000 federal employees worked without pay, the BPC said.
60,000 – The number of workers outside of the federal government who lost their jobs due to the economic effects of the shutdown, National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett, a White House advisor, said on Thursday.
50.7 – The level of consumer sentiment in November. The number, which represents the level of consumer optimism about the economy, is the lowest reading since a pandemic-era inflation peak in 2022, according to the University of Michigan. Consumer spending, which accounts for about two-thirds of U.S. economic activity, is a key bellwether for the nation's economic outlook.
8 – The number of Democratic senators who broke with other party members to vote in favor of reopening the government. The measure passed the Senate by a vote of 60-40. A single Republican, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, voted against the bill.
6 – The number of Democratic House members who broke with other party members and voted to reopen the government. Two Republicans opposed the measure to reopen the government.
6% – The portion of scheduled flights that will be canceled at 40 major airports on Thursday, the day after the end of the shutdown, according to the Department of Transportation. That estimate is lower than an initial plan that called for cancellations of 8% of flights in the event of a continued shutdown.
2 – The number of monthly jobs reports missed during the shutdown, meaning gold-standard government hiring data remains unavailable for September and October. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday that the government is unlikely to publish inflation and jobs data for October. It remains unclear whether the federal government will release jobs data for September.
