As the federal government shutdown enters its second month, The Hill reports a big jump in readers as it provides nonstop coverage from Washington, D.C.

Internal data from Chartbeat shows that The Hill’s estimated traffic in October was nearly 50% higher than September. Coverage of the shutdown and exclusive political stories brought in millions of page views. For example, on the last day of September, as the shutdown approached, unique visitors to the site were up 93% from the previous day and 250% from the Tuesday before.

These numbers are still rough estimates, as detailed October metrics are not yet available. However, this growth is expected to be similar across other news sites like Politico, CNN, and Fox News, as people look for updates on the shutdown and its effects nationwide.

Since the shutdown began, The Hill has covered topics such as:

  • How the shutdown affects federal food aid, leaving millions struggling to pay for groceries.

  • The impact on the National Flood Insurance Program and its ability to issue or renew policies.

  • The Food and Drug Administration pausing new drug applications.

  • How the shutdown affects operations, like air traffic controllers working without pay.

Bill Sammon, SVP of Washington, D.C. editorial content for The Hill and NewsNation, said, “It’s no surprise readers turn to The Hill for government shutdown news. We focus on detailed, non-partisan coverage of Congress and continue to share exclusive stories that help readers understand what’s happening in Washington.”

The Hill has already had a strong year in 2025. From January to September, the site had more than 617 million visits, averaging 68.6 million per month (according to Comscore MMX Multi-platform data). In October alone, traffic rose nearly 50% from September, with millions of page views by the second day of the shutdown.

The Hill had a busy summer full of news. For example, national political reporter Julia Manchester reported that Congresswoman Elise Stefanik was planning to run for governor of New York.

Senior politics reporter Amie Parnes also had big stories. She interviewed California Governor Gavin Newsom twice about the Democratic Party and California’s fight with President Trump over redistricting. In June, she also spoke to sources who cleared up rumors that former Vice President Kamala Harris might run for California governor in 2026.

Stories like these show that politics, especially the deadlock in Washington, still attract a lot of readers online.

The Hill’s traffic spikes come as the U.S. faces a possible federal shutdown that could soon become the longest in history. The current record is 35 days, during the first Trump administration from Dec. 22, 2018, to Jan. 25, 2019.

Published: 4th November 2025

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