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.
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 21, 2020
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