Government shutdowns can cost the US economy billions

Government shutdowns, 101

Roughly a quarter of the US federal government's spending must be approved annually through a set of 12 appropriations bills in Congress. When they aren't, a government shutdown ensues, where federal agencies are legally barred from spending any further money on nonessentials. This explainer covers the basics of government shutdowns and their impact on the broader culture.

The US loses roughly $400B a year in productivity due to sleep deprivation

For an article about a woman who built a business empire telling bedtime stories, the Hustle created this graphic showing the estimated GDP loss associated with chronic insomnia. The United States had a much more significant loss than other countries.

Roughly $5T of stimulus money flooded the economy during the pandemic

Recessions can last anywhere from months to years. To encourage economic growth, governments use policy levers such as lowering interest rates or introducing a stimulus. Economists credit massive stimulus funds for helping the economy quickly recover from a recession during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mental illness in the US costs roughly $282B annually nationwide

That figure, estimated as part of a 2024 Yale analysis that aimed to better understand the macroeconomic implications of mental illness, included the costs of mental health treatment, income loss, and overarching economic setbacks associated with mental illness.

States have stepped in to keep national parks open during shutdowns

National parks typically close during federal shutdowns, but in 2023, Arizona and Utah planned to use state funds to keep parks open—highlighting how shutdowns can disrupt tourism and local economies.

The federal government pumped $70 billion into transit amidst reduced ridership during the COVID pandemic

When ridership collapsed by 75% in the spring of 2020, Congress sent transit agencies nearly $70B to help them survive. But that money has largely run out, and ridership remains 14-28% below prepandemic levels, leaving many transit systems with large budget deficits.

Visualizing the multibillion dollar cost of US weather disasters

The US has sustained 332 weather and climate disasters since 1980 where overall damages/costs reached or exceeded $1B (including CPI adjustment to 2022). The total cost of these 332 events exceeds $2.275T.

COVID-19's shock to employment rates sparked some economists to fear deflation

COVID-19 simultaneously disrupted the supply chain and the labor market. Since the unemployment rate had hit record highs, some economists were worried that the supply chain would recover before the labor market. If that had happened, businesses would have been producing goods, but no one would have been able to buy them because they wouldn't have the disposable income to do so.

NASA economic impact (and budget history)

It's estimated that for every dollar NASA spends on its programs, $8 is produced in US economic growth. With a 2023 budget of roughly $25 billion, that means NASA helped create $200 billion in economic value. The administration's investments pay off so massively due to the technologies it develops, many of which become commercially appealing. Dive into the economic impact of NASA's development here.

Immigrants generated about $1.7T in economic activity in 2023 and paid roughly $652B in taxes

This economic output surpasses their 14.3% share of the US population, and their labor force participation rate of nearly 67% is higher than the approximately 62% rate for US-born workers.

The US has been through 34 recessions since 1854

From 1855 to 2020, the average US recession lasted for an average of 17 months. But in the 20th and 21st centuries, the average recession length has shortened, decreasing to 14 months.

US holiday retail sales reached $973B in 2024

In 2024, US holiday retail sales reached $973B—nearly one-fifth of annual sales. Many companies depend on this season to bolster revenues.

The national debt is growing at a faster rate than the economy

“The federal government faces an unsustainable fiscal future,” according to this bleak 2025 report on the nation’s budget from the US Government Accountability Office. If unaddressed, the country’s debt could double its gross domestic product, warns the nonpartisan agency. For individuals, this may mean stagnant wages, higher borrowing costs, and more expensive goods.

Study shows H-1B visas depress wages and reduce consumer tech costs

A paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research found that without H-1B workers, American computer scientists would earn 2.6% to 5.1% more and domestic employment could rise by 11%, but consumers would pay more for advanced technology, and output would decrease.

An economic evaluation of US tariffs

Most economists agree that the implementation of large-scale tariffs on foreign goods would hurt both the American and global economies. This video from The Wall Street Journal explains the rationale for tariffs as a tool for domestic job creation, but explains why they may hurt the overall economy.

The US federal government employs roughly 3 million people

Tracking began in 1939, when the federal workforce consisted of about 1 million people. The total peaked in 1990 at 3.4 million, and hit a recent low in 2014 at 2.7 million.

Iran-Iraq war drained over $1T from the combined economies of Iran and Iraq

Across eight years (1980-88), Iran and Iraq each lost about $500 B in GDP, infrastructure destruction, military expenses, disrupted oil exports, and mounting debt—totaling over $1 T in economic damage.

Organized crime, including money laundering, drains $1.96T from the global economy annually

Overall, financial crime drains $3T from the global economy, with organized crime making up nearly $2T of that total. Drug trafficking is the second-largest drain on the global economy.

DOGE's claim of saving more than $64B lacks evidence

In the first month of President Donald Trump’s second term, his new Department of Government Efficiency celebrated slashing billions in federal spending and chopping away at the national debt. An article from the Poynter Institute’s fact-checking website digs into the numbers to investigate these claims.

Discover what would happen in the US if the electric grid permanently went down

While the grid is designed with redundancies and to restart quickly in the event of an interruption, a long-term, widespread blackout would cut off most telecommunications, water, and sewage systems and cause supermarkets, which keep only about three days of inventory, to quickly empty. Without electricity and the transportation systems that rely on it, modern food production would also halt.

Comic-Con generates over $165M for the San Diego economy each year

San Diego’s community gets a significant boost from Comic‑Con, which draws around 135,000 attendees annually. It generates over $165M in regional spending—with more than $90M coming directly from visitors—and adds approximately $3.2M in city tax revenue.

Discover the catastrophic consequences of a failure of the US electrical grid—something that is more likely than many Americans think.

Calculate how much of your tax dollars go to each federal program based on your income, filing status, and number of children

The USPS spent $3.97B in 2024, accounting for .058% of the federal budget.

College football generates over $11B annually—but many programs run at a loss

Despite total revenues surpassing $11.5B in 2024, college football’s high operating costs—$14.5B in the same year—mean only a handful of top programs turn large profits, while most run at a loss.

Opera faces many economic problems today

Opera is a notably expensive art form, and therefore currently struggling to survive economically. Pandemic losses, reduced government funding, and dwindling ticket sales all pose a threat to its continuation. According to a recent survey, about half of the UK wouldn't feel impacted if all opera houses were shut down.

Remote work offers a way for companies to save money on office space

Before the pandemic, real estate costs were between 3% to 9% of the typical S&P 500 company's budget (with the exception of companies in the energy industry). Eliminating some or all of a company's expensive office leases is one way that companies can save money by adopting work-from-home models. (Some users may experience a paywall.)

US consumers collectively owe more than $1T to credit card companies—almost as much as they owe in auto loans.

President Trump ordered an end to US production of the penny in 2025

The US will stop producing pennies after more than 233 years in 2026, though they will still be considered legal tender. It takes roughly three cents to produce a single penny, with an annual price tag of nearly $100M.

Before the current East Wing ballroom project, only two White House renovations in the past 100 years cost more than $10M.

The US dollar is the most widely circulated currency in the world, and is involved in nearly 90% of global transactions

About 2,000 US babies are born annually without some portion of their limbs, potentially leading to a lifetime of pricey prosthetics.

The American Society of Civil Engineers' infrastructure report card gave the US a C in 2025, its highest grade since the project launched in 1998.

The United States has had a tumultuous relationship with Cuba since its 1959 revolution, highlighted by a nuclear crisis and a decades-long trade embargo.

Despite being favored by 87% of Americans, Congress does not have term limits.

See how Ebola tore through Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia in 2014-2016.

Up to a million Girl Scouts sell about 200 million cookie boxes every spring, generating $800 million, largely because refusing a child is frowned upon

Fireworks-related ER visits are on the rise—in 2024, they increased by 52% as compared to the prior year.

Mark Twain spent decades feuding with the US Postal Service, convinced its costs and regulations were bureaucratic overreach.

Experimental hantavirus vaccines and therapies, still under development, have long been funded by the US military.

SpaceX's S-1 or 'prospectus' revealed many previously unknown details about the company, including its unprofitability despite doing $18.7B in revenue in 2025, exactly how many voting shares Elon Musk will have in the company (roughly 85%), and more.

A 2019 Facebook event called on attendees to "Storm Area 51, They Can't Stop All of Us," resulting in countless memes, the creation of a music festival, and eventually the arrests of those who did try to approach the area.

Stanford built a Google Maps for the Roman Empire, revealing how much it cost to travel in the ancient world

Studies suggest when you sleep is as important as how much you get, and syncing with your circadian rhythms may lead to less fatigue and improved long-term health outcomes

Jimmy Carter signed a 1978 bill that legalized home brewing, a move credited with kick-starting the craft beer industry.

Indefinite cloning of some endangered species may not sustain their longevity because cloning success rates decrease as genetic mutations accumulate.

Art theft is the third-largest source of criminal revenues worldwide, thanks in part to the subjective nature of valuing a work of art.

Alzheimer's can lead to brain shrinkage, with an average of around 2% of volume reduction per year

Most of the observable universe's volume consists of voids and supervoids—enormous regions of space with little to no galaxies, stars, or light.

When caught in the mouths of cardinal fish, seed shrimp release glowing, bioluminescent chemicals, which alert predators of the cardinal fish, prompting the shrimp's ejection.