Figure A

New and cumulative jobless claims by state: Unemployment insurance (UI) claims filed during the week ending May 2, 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 eight weeks ending May 2 Sum of initial claims as a share of labor force
Alabama 28,183 -62.4% -46,783 1,237% 26,075 447,530 19.9%
Alaska 9,404 -8.8% -909 1,014% 8,560 81,256 23.5%
Arizona 42,909 -18.4% -9,672 1,207% 39,626 521,038 14.4%
Arkansas 12,436 -29.6% -5,235 741% 10,957 191,639 14.0%
California 318,064 -2.2% -7,279 678% 277,192 4,048,317 20.7%
Colorado 28,322 -26.7% -10,340 1,387% 26,418 369,454 11.6%
Connecticut 36,166 9.5% 3,125 1,301% 33,585 301,296 15.6%
Delaware 6,183 -22.2% -1,764 983% 5,612 86,070 17.6%
Washington D.C. 8,133 -6.6% -575 1,689% 7,679 82,327 19.9%
Florida 173,191 -60.0% -259,912 3,318% 168,124 1,772,528 17.0%
Georgia 226,884 -14.9% -39,681 4,138% 221,531 1,601,570 31.1%
Hawaii 16,112 -28.4% -6,383 1,319% 14,976 212,016 31.7%
Idaho 7,194 -18.5% -1,633 553% 6,093 126,037 14.1%
Illinois 74,476 -8.7% -7,120 693% 65,085 904,614 14.1%
Indiana 43,777 -21.5% -11,997 1,645% 41,269 614,597 18.1%
Iowa 24,693 -9.3% -2,527 959% 22,360 286,044 16.3%
Kansas 18,281 -25.3% -6,202 1,033% 16,668 232,187 15.5%
Kentucky 80,060 -12.2% -11,163 3,100% 77,558 674,073 32.3%
Louisiana 52,137 -21.2% -14,004 2,992% 50,451 562,568 26.7%
Maine 16,175 111.1% 8,514 1,984% 15,399 125,866 18.1%
Maryland 65,262 72.1% 27,337 2,264% 62,502 456,237 13.9%
Massachusetts 55,448 -22.3% -15,910 815% 49,390 788,559 20.6%
Michigan 68,952 -15.9% -13,052 1,148% 63,428 1,336,103 27.0%
Minnesota 47,134 -3.0% -1,461 1,239% 43,615 602,829 19.3%
Mississippi 24,810 -17.0% -5,096 2,897% 23,982 221,910 17.4%
Missouri 49,402 -10.7% -5,897 1,526% 46,364 508,440 16.3%
Montana 4,263 -39.5% -2,789 446% 3,482 94,939 17.7%
Nebraska 6,555 -20.3% -1,674 1,190% 6,047 111,559 10.7%
Nevada 30,735 -27.8% -11,806 1,232% 28,428 421,294 27.0%
New Hampshire 11,834 -21.1% -3,167 1,997% 11,270 173,123 22.2%
New Jersey 87,540 21.6% 15,574 970% 79,361 987,436 21.6%
New Mexico 16,801 38.9% 4,708 2,272% 16,093 134,513 14.0%
New York 195,242 -11.0% -24,171 959% 176,812 1,819,857 19.1%
North Carolina 84,716 -14.4% -14,225 3,194% 82,144 837,261 16.4%
North Dakota 4,689 -25.3% -1,585 1,018% 4,270 61,550 15.2%
Ohio 61,046 -34.8% -32,553 736% 53,746 1,127,626 19.3%
Oklahoma 68,237 30.0% 15,737 4,325% 66,695 353,954 19.2%
Oregon 45,102 -8.5% -4,198 1,035% 41,130 330,801 15.7%
Pennsylvania 96,603 -24.5% -31,293 665% 83,982 1,729,168 26.4%
Rhode Island 9,109 -30.4% -3,975 711% 7,986 155,778 27.9%
South Carolina 46,747 -29.6% -19,691 2,304% 44,803 463,661 19.4%
South Dakota 3,756 -32.1% -1,779 1,961% 3,574 37,835 8.1%
Tennessee 37,319 -12.8% -5,486 1,756% 35,309 464,702 13.8%
Texas 247,179 -2.7% -6,905 1,806% 234,208 1,819,235 12.8%
Utah 9,057 -22.8% -2,681 805% 8,056 147,526 9.0%
Vermont 3,759 -26.5% -1,358 511% 3,144 60,686 17.8%
Virginia 61,138 -15.7% -11,350 2,215% 58,497 629,823 14.1%
Washington 109,167 -21.7% -30,338 1,698% 103,097 974,852 24.6%
West Virginia 12,996 -56.4% -16,822 1,050% 11,866 137,931 17.1%
Wisconsin 38,002 -24.0% -11,991 572% 32,348 485,856 15.6%
Wyoming 2,026 -42.1% -1,471 307% 1,528 32,807 11.2%

Notes: Initial claims for the week ending May 2 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.

Source: U.S. Employment and Training Administration, Initial Claims [ICSA], retrieved from Department of Labor (DOL), https://www.dol.gov/ui/data.pdf and https://oui.doleta.gov/unemploy/claims.asp, May 7, 2020

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