I’ve created a simple shutdown impact calculator, just enter the number of days, and it estimates the potential GDP cost range. Give it a try here:
Shutdown Impact Calculator — GDP Cost Estimator SIShutdown Impact Calculator
Estimate the likely GDP cost (low/mid/high) of a U.S. federal government shutdown using a market rule-of-thumb.
How this worksWeeks are computed as ceiling(days ÷ 7). Estimates use a per-week GDP loss rule-of-thumb:
This rule-of-thumb is used by analysts to approximate weekly GDP drag; see sources below (CBO and analyst coverage).
- Low: $6.5 billion per week
- Mid: $10.0 billion per week
- High: $13.0 billion per week
Download or copy to share results.Low (6.5B/week)$0.00BMid (10.0B/week)$0.00BHigh (13.0B/week)$0.00BWeeks (rounded up)0Methodology & sourcesEstimates use a widely cited analyst rule-of-thumb for weekly GDP drag. For authoritative analysis of past shutdown impacts see the Congressional Budget Office (e.g., CBO’s analysis of the 2018–2019 partial shutdown). Use these results as scenario approximations rather than definitive forecasts.
Example citation: Congressional Budget Office. (2019). The Effects of the Partial Shutdown Ending in January 2019.