The Department of Labor (DOL) released the most recent unemployment insurance (UI) claims data this morning, showing that another 2.2 million people filed for regular UI benefits last week (not seasonally adjusted) and 1.2 million for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), the new program for workers who aren’t eligible for regular UI, such as gig workers.
While most states saw a decline in UI claims filed relative to the prior week, 12 states saw increases in UI claims. Washington saw the largest percent increase in claims (31.0%) compared with the prior week, followed by California (15.7%), New York (13.6%), and North Dakota (10.1%).
A note about the data: Unless otherwise noted, the numbers in this blog post are the ones reported by the U.S. Department of Labor, which they receive from the state agencies that administer UI. While DOL is asking states to report regular UI claims and PUA claims separately, many states are also including some or all PUA claimants in their reported regular UI claims. As state agencies work to get these new programs up and running, there will likely continue to be some misreporting. Since the number of UI claims is one of the most up-to-date measures of labor market weakness and access to benefits, we will still be analyzing it each week as reported by DOL, but ask that you keep these caveats in mind when interpreting the data.
Figure A and Table 1 below compare regular UI claims filed last week with the prior week and the pre-virus period, in both level and percent terms. It also shows the cumulative number of unemployment claims since March 7 and that number as a share of each state’s labor force. In 10 states, more than a quarter of the workforce filed an initial claim during the past 10 weeks: Georgia (39.2%), Kentucky (38.0%), Hawaii (35.0%), Washington (30.9%), Louisiana (29.9%), Rhode Island (29.7%), Nevada (29.6%), Michigan (29.2%), Pennsylvania (28.4%), and Alaska (27.9%).
New and cumulative jobless claims by state: Unemployment insurance (UI) claims filed during the week ending May 16, change in claims, and total claims as share of state labor force
| State | Initial claims filed | % change from the prior week | Level change from the prior week | % change from pre-virus period | Level change from pre-virus period | Sum of initial claims for the ten weeks ending May 16 | Sum of initial claims as a share of labor force |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 24,528 | -8.0% | -2,138 | 1,064% | 22,420 | 499,526 | 22.3% |
| Alaska | 8,117 | 4.0% | 310 | 861% | 7,273 | 96,494 | 27.9% |
| Arizona | 32,295 | 2.3% | 725 | 884% | 29,012 | 585,017 | 16.2% |
| Arkansas | 10,662 | -18.9% | -2,490 | 621% | 9,183 | 216,465 | 15.8% |
| California | 246,115 | 15.7% | 33,448 | 502% | 205,243 | 4,505,292 | 23.1% |
| Colorado | 17,958 | -21.0% | -4,774 | 843% | 16,054 | 410,182 | 12.9% |
| Connecticut | 26,013 | -13.4% | -4,033 | 908% | 23,432 | 357,327 | 18.5% |
| Delaware | 5,437 | 4.6% | 240 | 852% | 4,866 | 96,818 | 19.8% |
| Washington D.C. | 5,079 | -12.2% | -703 | 1,017% | 4,625 | 93,168 | 22.5% |
| Florida | 223,927 | 0.4% | 845 | 4,319% | 218,860 | 2,221,206 | 21.2% |
| Georgia | 176,548 | -27.3% | -66,224 | 3,198% | 171,195 | 2,022,358 | 39.2% |
| Hawaii | 11,038 | -10.2% | -1,259 | 872% | 9,902 | 234,352 | 35.0% |
| Idaho | 5,475 | -5.5% | -320 | 397% | 4,374 | 137,608 | 15.4% |
| Illinois | 72,816 | 0.2% | 145 | 675% | 63,425 | 1,050,101 | 16.4% |
| Indiana | 30,311 | 2.2% | 643 | 1,108% | 27,803 | 673,089 | 19.8% |
| Iowa | 13,040 | -17.6% | -2,780 | 459% | 10,707 | 313,452 | 17.9% |
| Kansas | 11,779 | -3.7% | -455 | 630% | 10,166 | 253,878 | 17.0% |
| Kentucky | 47,036 | -32.2% | -22,336 | 1,780% | 44,534 | 792,856 | 38.0% |
| Louisiana | 28,843 | -28.1% | -11,282 | 1,611% | 27,157 | 630,340 | 29.9% |
| Maine | 846 | -91.9% | -9,540 | 9% | 70 | 137,036 | 19.7% |
| Maryland | 34,304 | -24.6% | -11,181 | 1,143% | 31,544 | 534,017 | 16.3% |
| Massachusetts | 38,328 | -14.7% | -6,587 | 533% | 32,270 | 872,238 | 22.7% |
| Michigan | 54,460 | -1.3% | -706 | 886% | 48,936 | 1,444,176 | 29.2% |
| Minnesota | 31,539 | -16.3% | -6,130 | 796% | 28,020 | 666,395 | 21.3% |
| Mississippi | 23,697 | 0.3% | 79 | 2,763% | 22,869 | 270,160 | 21.2% |
| Missouri | 26,029 | -16.4% | -5,116 | 757% | 22,991 | 568,739 | 18.3% |
| Montana | 3,384 | -10.0% | -378 | 333% | 2,603 | 102,418 | 19.1% |
| Nebraska | 5,923 | -6.9% | -439 | 1,065% | 5,415 | 123,707 | 11.9% |
| Nevada | 20,401 | -5.7% | -1,234 | 784% | 18,094 | 461,145 | 29.6% |
| New Hampshire | 8,333 | -16.8% | -1,683 | 1,377% | 7,769 | 192,113 | 24.6% |
| New Jersey | 41,323 | -40.7% | -28,366 | 405% | 33,144 | 1,099,234 | 24.1% |
| New Mexico | 7,948 | -0.9% | -76 | 1,022% | 7,240 | 147,359 | 15.3% |
| New York | 226,521 | 13.6% | 27,102 | 1,129% | 208,091 | 2,245,665 | 23.5% |
| North Carolina | 45,974 | -19.8% | -11,380 | 1,687% | 43,402 | 941,829 | 18.4% |
| North Dakota | 3,031 | 10.1% | 278 | 623% | 2,612 | 66,689 | 16.5% |
| Ohio | 46,594 | -10.8% | -5,661 | 538% | 39,294 | 1,226,916 | 21.0% |
| Oklahoma | 23,880 | -38.9% | -15,199 | 1,448% | 22,338 | 442,561 | 24.0% |
| Oregon | 22,281 | -34.3% | -11,655 | 461% | 18,309 | 390,036 | 18.5% |
| Pennsylvania | 64,078 | -13.0% | -9,610 | 408% | 51,457 | 1,864,776 | 28.4% |
| Rhode Island | 3,852 | -38.3% | -2,393 | 243% | 2,729 | 165,854 | 29.7% |
| South Carolina | 29,446 | -11.3% | -3,745 | 1,414% | 27,502 | 527,224 | 22.0% |
| South Dakota | 3,806 | -27.8% | -1,463 | 1,988% | 3,624 | 47,083 | 10.1% |
| Tennessee | 28,692 | 1.1% | 315 | 1,327% | 26,682 | 520,775 | 15.5% |
| Texas | 134,381 | -5.1% | -7,172 | 936% | 121,410 | 2,091,925 | 14.7% |
| Utah | 6,275 | -11.3% | -801 | 527% | 5,274 | 160,812 | 9.9% |
| Vermont | 2,098 | -28.0% | -815 | 241% | 1,483 | 65,813 | 19.3% |
| Virginia | 45,788 | -12.2% | -6,351 | 1,633% | 43,147 | 726,243 | 16.3% |
| Washington | 145,228 | 31.0% | 34,397 | 2,292% | 139,158 | 1,223,960 | 30.9% |
| West Virginia | 4,853 | -19.7% | -1,192 | 329% | 3,723 | 149,060 | 18.5% |
| Wisconsin | 31,314 | -19.1% | -7,396 | 454% | 25,660 | 555,763 | 17.9% |
| Wyoming | 1,911 | -42.0% | -1,386 | 284% | 1,413 | 38,843 | 13.2% |
Notes: Initial claims for the week ending May 16 reflect advance state claims, not seasonally adjusted. For comparisons with the “pre-virus period,” we use a four-week average of initial claims for the weeks ending February 15–March 7, 2020. For comparisons to the size of the labor force, we use February 2020 levels.
Unless otherwise noted, the numbers in this blog post are the ones reported by the U.S. Department of Labor, which they receive from the state agencies that administer UI. While the DOL is asking states to report regular UI claims and PUA claims separately, many states appear to also be including some or all PUA claimants in their reported regular UI claims. As state agencies work to get these new programs up and running, there will likely continue to be some misreporting. Since the number of UI claims is one of the most up-to-date measures we have of labor market weakness and access to benefits, we will still be analyzing it each week as reported by DOL, but ask that you keep these caveats in mind when interpreting the data.
All states continue to see astonishingly high numbers of claims relative to the pre-virus period, but the rise in claims has been particularly pronounced in the South. Last week, Florida and Georgia saw the largest percent increase in claims (4,319% and 3,198%, respectively) compared with the pre-virus period. Eight of the 10 states that had the highest percent change in initial regular UI claims relative to the pre-virus period are in the South: Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Kentucky, North Carolina, Virginia, Louisiana, and Oklahoma.
Table 2 below displays the reported number of people who applied for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA)—the new federal program that extends unemployment compensation to workers who are not eligible for regular UI but are out of work due to the pandemic, such as gig workers and people who left their jobs to care for a child. The U.S. DOL’s release on 5/21/2020 reported that 1,184,792 initial PUA claims were filed in Massachusetts last week, but the correct number is 115,952. The total number of initial PUA claims in the U.S. last week has also been corrected to 1.2 million to reflect this change.
In the last three weeks, about three million workers in 36 states have filed for PUA, with the most PUA claims in California (547,188), Michigan (388,749), New York (269,426), Massachusetts (255,242), and North Carolina (184,304).
To mitigate the economic harm to workers, the next federal relief and recovery package should extend the across-the-board $600 increase in weekly unemployment benefits well past its expiration at the end of July. The package should also include substantial aid to state and local governments (without which, a prolonged depression is inevitable), worker protections, investments in our democracy, and resources for coronavirus testing and contact tracing, which is necessary to reopen the economy.
New and cumulative jobless claims by state: Unemployment insurance (UI) claims filed during the week ending May 16, change in claims, and total claims as share of state labor force
| State | Initial claims filed | % change from the prior week | Level change from the prior week | % change from pre-virus period | Level change from pre-virus period | Sum of initial claims for the ten weeks ending May 16 | Sum of initial claims as a share of labor force |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 24,528 | -8.0% | -2,138 | 1,064% | 22,420 | 499,526 | 22.3% |
| Alaska | 8,117 | 4.0% | 310 | 861% | 7,273 | 96,494 | 27.9% |
| Arizona | 32,295 | 2.3% | 725 | 884% | 29,012 | 585,017 | 16.2% |
| Arkansas | 10,662 | -18.9% | -2,490 | 621% | 9,183 | 216,465 | 15.8% |
| California | 246,115 | 15.7% | 33,448 | 502% | 205,243 | 4,505,292 | 23.1% |
| Colorado | 17,958 | -21.0% | -4,774 | 843% | 16,054 | 410,182 | 12.9% |
| Connecticut | 26,013 | -13.4% | -4,033 | 908% | 23,432 | 357,327 | 18.5% |
| Delaware | 5,437 | 4.6% | 240 | 852% | 4,866 | 96,818 | 19.8% |
| District of Columbia | 5,079 | -12.2% | -703 | 1,017% | 4,625 | 93,168 | 22.5% |
| Florida | 223,927 | 0.4% | 845 | 4,319% | 218,860 | 2,221,206 | 21.2% |
| Georgia | 176,548 | -27.3% | -66,224 | 3,198% | 171,195 | 2,022,358 | 39.2% |
| Hawaii | 11,038 | -10.2% | -1,259 | 872% | 9,902 | 234,352 | 35.0% |
| Idaho | 5,475 | -5.5% | -320 | 397% | 4,374 | 137,608 | 15.4% |
| Illinois | 72,816 | 0.2% | 145 | 675% | 63,425 | 1,050,101 | 16.4% |
| Indiana | 30,311 | 2.2% | 643 | 1,108% | 27,803 | 673,089 | 19.8% |
| Iowa | 13,040 | -17.6% | -2,780 | 459% | 10,707 | 313,452 | 17.9% |
| Kansas | 11,779 | -3.7% | -455 | 630% | 10,166 | 253,878 | 17.0% |
| Kentucky | 47,036 | -32.2% | -22,336 | 1,780% | 44,534 | 792,856 | 38.0% |
| Louisiana | 28,843 | -28.1% | -11,282 | 1,611% | 27,157 | 630,340 | 29.9% |
| Maine | 846 | -91.9% | -9,540 | 9% | 70 | 137,036 | 19.7% |
| Maryland | 34,304 | -24.6% | -11,181 | 1,143% | 31,544 | 534,017 | 16.3% |
| Massachusetts | 38,328 | -14.7% | -6,587 | 533% | 32,270 | 872,238 | 22.7% |
| Michigan | 54,460 | -1.3% | -706 | 886% | 48,936 | 1,444,176 | 29.2% |
| Minnesota | 31,539 | -16.3% | -6,130 | 796% | 28,020 | 666,395 | 21.3% |
| Mississippi | 23,697 | 0.3% | 79 | 2,763% | 22,869 | 270,160 | 21.2% |
| Missouri | 26,029 | -16.4% | -5,116 | 757% | 22,991 | 568,739 | 18.3% |
| Montana | 3,384 | -10.0% | -378 | 333% | 2,603 | 102,418 | 19.1% |
| Nebraska | 5,923 | -6.9% | -439 | 1,065% | 5,415 | 123,707 | 11.9% |
| Nevada | 20,401 | -5.7% | -1,234 | 784% | 18,094 | 461,145 | 29.6% |
| New Hampshire | 8,333 | -16.8% | -1,683 | 1,377% | 7,769 | 192,113 | 24.6% |
| New Jersey | 41,323 | -40.7% | -28,366 | 405% | 33,144 | 1,099,234 | 24.1% |
| New Mexico | 7,948 | -0.9% | -76 | 1,022% | 7,240 | 147,359 | 15.3% |
| New York | 226,521 | 13.6% | 27,102 | 1,129% | 208,091 | 2,245,665 | 23.5% |
| North Carolina | 45,974 | -19.8% | -11,380 | 1,687% | 43,402 | 941,829 | 18.4% |
| North Dakota | 3,031 | 10.1% | 278 | 623% | 2,612 | 66,689 | 16.5% |
| Ohio | 46,594 | -10.8% | -5,661 | 538% | 39,294 | 1,226,916 | 21.0% |
| Oklahoma | 23,880 | -38.9% | -15,199 | 1,448% | 22,338 | 442,561 | 24.0% |
| Oregon | 22,281 | -34.3% | -11,655 | 461% | 18,309 | 390,036 | 18.5% |
| Pennsylvania | 64,078 | -13.0% | -9,610 | 408% | 51,457 | 1,864,776 | 28.4% |
| Rhode Island | 3,852 | -38.3% | -2,393 | 243% | 2,729 | 165,854 | 29.7% |
| South Carolina | 29,446 | -11.3% | -3,745 | 1,414% | 27,502 | 527,224 | 22.0% |
| South Dakota | 3,806 | -27.8% | -1,463 | 1,988% | 3,624 | 47,083 | 10.1% |
| Tennessee | 28,692 | 1.1% | 315 | 1,327% | 26,682 | 520,775 | 15.5% |
| Texas | 134,381 | -5.1% | -7,172 | 936% | 121,410 | 2,091,925 | 14.7% |
| Utah | 6,275 | -11.3% | -801 | 527% | 5,274 | 160,812 | 9.9% |
| Vermont | 2,098 | -28.0% | -815 | 241% | 1,483 | 65,813 | 19.3% |
| Virginia | 45,788 | -12.2% | -6,351 | 1,633% | 43,147 | 726,243 | 16.3% |
| Washington | 145,228 | 31.0% | 34,397 | 2,292% | 139,158 | 1,223,960 | 30.9% |
| West Virginia | 4,853 | -19.7% | -1,192 | 329% | 3,723 | 149,060 | 18.5% |
| Wisconsin | 31,314 | -19.1% | -7,396 | 454% | 25,660 | 555,763 | 17.9% |
| Wyoming | 1,911 | -42.0% | -1,386 | 284% | 1,413 | 38,843 | 13.2% |
Notes: Initial claims for the week ending May 16 reflect advance state claims, not seasonally adjusted. For comparisons to the “pre-virus period,” we use a four-week average of initial claims for the weeks ending February 15–March 7, 2020. For comparisons to the size of the labor force, we use February 2020 levels.
Unless otherwise noted, the numbers in this blog post are the ones reported by the U.S. Department of Labor, which they receive from the state agencies that administer UI. While the DOL is asking states to report regular UI claims and PUA claims separately, many states appear to also be including some or all PUA claimants in their reported regular UI claims. As state agencies work to get these new programs up and running, there will likely continue to be some misreporting. Since the number of UI claims is one of the most up-to-date measures we have of labor market weakness and access to benefits, we will still be analyzing it each week as reported by DOL, but ask that you keep these caveats in mind when interpreting the data.
Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) initial claims by state: PUA initial claims filed during the weeks ending May 2–May 16
| State | Week ending May 2 | Week ending May 9 | Week ending May 16 | Three–week sum |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Alaska | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Arizona | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Arkansas | 0 | 0 | 1,498 | 1,498 |
| California | 297,738 | 136,659 | 112,791 | 547,188 |
| Colorado | 13,149 | 9,125 | 7,633 | 29,907 |
| Connecticut | 0 | 11,750 | 7,450 | 19,200 |
| Delaware | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Washington D.C. | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Florida | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Georgia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hawaii | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Idaho | 0 | 0 | 5,193 | 5,193 |
| Illinois | 0 | 0 | 74,515 | 74,515 |
| Indiana | 0 | 68,834 | 0 | 68,834 |
| Iowa | 4,509 | 3,910 | 4,552 | 12,971 |
| Kansas | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kentucky | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Louisiana | 20,245 | 17,556 | 3,396 | 41,197 |
| Maine | 10,498 | 11,488 | 7,043 | 29,029 |
| Maryland | 44,280 | 18,982 | 15,448 | 78,710 |
| Massachusetts | 68,826 | 70,464 | 115,952 | 255,242 |
| Michigan | 86,009 | 138,051 | 164,689 | 388,749 |
| Minnesota | 1,015 | 7,680 | 3,036 | 11,731 |
| Mississippi | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Missouri | 17,784 | 7,082 | 7,787 | 32,653 |
| Montana | 3,524 | 2,163 | 2,466 | 8,153 |
| Nebraska | 1,633 | 0 | 1,700 | 3,333 |
| Nevada | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| New Hampshire | 0 | 0 | 7,666 | 7,666 |
| New Jersey | 76,100 | 51,241 | 34,000 | 161,341 |
| New Mexico | 17,850 | 4,714 | 3,256 | 25,820 |
| New York | 38,700 | 53,042 | 177,684 | 269,426 |
| North Carolina | 89,951 | 52,351 | 42,002 | 184,304 |
| North Dakota | 5,827 | 526 | 638 | 6,991 |
| Ohio | 0 | 0 | 134,468 | 134,468 |
| Oklahoma | 2,124 | 0 | 3,016 | 5,140 |
| Oregon | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Pennsylvania | 43,889 | 51,591 | 60,750 | 156,230 |
| Rhode Island | 5,815 | 4,954 | 3,768 | 14,537 |
| South Carolina | 0 | 0 | 19,706 | 19,706 |
| South Dakota | 99 | 693 | 901 | 1,693 |
| Tennessee | 10,617 | 5,741 | 3,615 | 19,973 |
| Texas | 56,548 | 47,088 | 43,997 | 147,633 |
| Utah | 0 | 0 | 2,600 | 2,600 |
| Vermont | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Virginia | 0 | 0 | 13,906 | 13,906 |
| Washington | 66,652 | 48,665 | 61,471 | 176,788 |
| West Virginia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wisconsin | 18,652 | 11,194 | 8,591 | 38,437 |
| Wyoming | 572 | 1,709 | 897 | 3,178 |
| US Total | 1,002,606 | 837,253 | 1,158,081 | 2,997,940 |
Unless otherwise noted, the numbers in this blog post are the ones reported by the U.S. Department of Labor, which they receive from the state agencies that administer UI. While the DOL is asking states to report regular UI claims and PUA claims separately, many states appear to also be including some or all PUA claimants in their reported regular UI claims. As state agencies work to get these new programs up and running, there will likely continue to be some misreporting. Since the number of UI claims is one of the most up-to-date measures we have of labor market weakness and access to benefits, we will still be analyzing it each week as reported by DOL, but ask that you keep these caveats in mind when interpreting the data.
