--- title: Total Solar Eclipse: Lost Productivity Costs $700 Million description: People skipping work for the solar eclipse could cost employers in the U.S. nearly $700 million in lost productivity canonical: https://time.com/4908595/total-solar-eclipse-lost-productivity/ author: Melissa Chan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-08-21T14:40:47.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-31T11:12:10.413Z article:section: Science og:title: People Playing Eclipse Hooky Could Cost Businesses $700 Million og:description: Millions are expected to watch the once-in-a-lifetime event og:url: https://time.com/4908595/total-solar-eclipse-lost-productivity/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd54ddd72b99ad2fd/6988da74e76ad23bad62ecf7/eclipse-productivity.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: Depoe Bay Oregon prepares for coming Solar Eclipse og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: People Playing Eclipse Hooky Could Cost Businesses $700 Million twitter:description: Millions are expected to watch the once-in-a-lifetime event twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd54ddd72b99ad2fd/6988da74e76ad23bad62ecf7/eclipse-productivity.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # People Skipping Work for the Solar Eclipse Could Cost Their Employers $700 Million > Sponsored content. 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It reaches 40,000 subscribers with a 34.2% open rate and a 2.1% click rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I follow the energy transition as a business story? Future Proof covers climate and energy as an economic and business story rather than only an environmental one. It publishes every Friday and is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who writes Future Proof? Justin Worland, a senior correspondent at TIME and an award-winning climate journalist, writes Future Proof. #### Is Future Proof free? Yes. Future Proof is free at time.com/newsletters.  by [Melissa Chan](https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Aug 21, 2017 2:40 PM UTC  An Entrepreneurial sign for parking is displayed for drivers as they near the small town of Depoe Bay, Oregon as it prepares for the coming Solar Eclipse, Aug. 20, 2017. An Entrepreneurial sign for parking is displayed for drivers as they near the small town of Depoe Bay, Oregon as it prepares for the coming Solar Eclipse, Aug. 20, 2017. Mike Blake—Reuters  by [Melissa Chan](https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Aug 21, 2017 2:40 PM UTC The [total solar eclipse](http://time.com/4907357/total-solar-eclipse-2017-america/?xid=homepage) could cost employers in the U.S. nearly $700 million in lost productivity, according to a recent analysis. Millions of Americans will mark a historic moment Monday when a [total solar eclipse ](http://time.com/4900288/total-solar-eclipse-virtual-reality/)sweeps across the country from coast to coast. The rare celestial spectacle can only be seen in America, [along a 70-mile-wide band](http://time.com/4902132/solar-eclipse-path/) that starts in Oregon and ends in South Carolina. The entire event will be over in less than two hours, and totality is expected to last less than three minutes in each place it’s visible. But the magnitude of Monday’s midday eclipse is enough to cost $694 million in disrupted productivity, according to an [analysis by Challenger, Grey & Christmas](https://www.challengergray.com/press/press-releases), a law firm that regularly estimates lost productivity around the NCAA’s March Madness. **_NEXT:_** [**_Watch the Whole Total Solar Eclipse in 4 Minutes_**](http://time.com/4900280/total-solar-eclipse-2017-video-watch/) The law firm used data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and calculated average hourly wage data and the number of full-time employed workers 16 and over to come up with its results. It found that the areas, particularly busy cities, along the eclipse’s path of totality could see almost $200 million in lost productivity. The total eclipse will touch parts of 14 states, beginning in Lincoln Beach, Ore. at 10:16 a.m. PST and concluding near Columbia, S.C. at about 2:44 p.m. EDT. 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