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TRANSMISSION OF MATERIALS IN THIS RELEASE IS EMBARGOED UNTIL
8:30 A.M. (Eastern) Thursday, May 21, 2020
COVID-19 Impact
The COVID-19 virus continues to impact the number of initial claims and insured unemployment.
This report now includes information on claimants filing Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and
Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation claims.
UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE WEEKLY CLAIMS
SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA
In the week ending May 16, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 2,438,000, a decrease of
249,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised down by 294,000 from 2,981,000
to 2,687,000. The 4-week moving average was 3,042,000, a decrease of 501,000 from the previous week's revised
average. The previous week's average was revised down by 73,500 from 3,616,500 to 3,543,000.
The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 17.2 percent for the week ending May 9, an increase
of 1.7 percentage points from the previous week's revised rate. The previous week's rate was revised down by 0.2 from
15.7 to 15.5 percent. The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending May
9 was 25,073,000, an increase of 2,525,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was
revised down by 285,000 from 22,833,000 to 22,548,000. The 4-week moving average was 22,002,250, an increase of
2,313,500 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised down by 71,250 from
19,760,000 to 19,688,750.

1

 UNADJUSTED DATA
The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 2,174,329 in the week ending May
16, a decrease of 182,265 (or -7.7 percent) from the previous week. The seasonal factors had expected an increase of
40,307 (or 1.7 percent) from the previous week. There were 191,931 initial claims in the comparable week in 2019. In
addition, for the week ending May 16, 35 states reported 2,226,921 initial claims for Pandemic Unemployment
Assistance.
The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 15.7 percent during the week ending May 9, an increase of 1.4
percentage points from the prior week. The advance unadjusted number for persons claiming UI benefits in state
programs totaled 22,942,103, an increase of 2,062,552 (or 9.9 percent) from the preceding week. The seasonal factors
had expected a decrease of 248,029 (or -1.2 percent) from the previous week. A year earlier the rate was 1.1 percent and
the volume was 1,543,472.

The total number of people claiming benefits in all programs for the week ending May 2 was 27,263,538, an increase of
1,900,327 from the previous week. There were 1,564,588 persons claiming benefits in all programs in the comparable
week in 2019.
Extended Benefits were available in Connecticut, Michigan, and Rhode Island during the week ending May 2.
Initial claims for UI benefits filed by former Federal civilian employees totaled 1,723 in the week ending May 9, a
decrease of 310 from the prior week. There were 1,076 initial claims filed by newly discharged veterans, a decrease of
176 from the preceding week.

2

 There were 15,405 former Federal civilian employees claiming UI benefits for the week ending May 2, a decrease of
1,449 from the previous week. Newly discharged veterans claiming benefits totaled 10,930, a decrease of 828 from the
prior week.
During the week ending May 2, 27 states reported 6,121,221 individuals claiming Pandemic Unemployment Assistance
benefits and 15 states reported 162,727 individuals claiming Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation
benefits.
The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending May 2 were in Nevada (23.5), Michigan (22.6), Washington
(22.1), Rhode Island (19.9), New York (19.6), Connecticut (19.3), Puerto Rico (19.2), Mississippi (18.8), Vermont
(18.8), and Georgia (18.5).
The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending May 9 were in Florida (+48,222), Georgia (+14,420),
Washington (+8,615), New York (+4,309), and South Dakota (+1,340), while the largest decreases were in California
(-103,590), Texas (-102,382), Oklahoma (-54,806), North Carolina (-28,602), and Missouri (-21,382).

3

 UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE DATA FOR REGULAR STATE PROGRAMS

WEEK ENDING
Initial Claims (SA)
Initial Claims (NSA)
4-Wk Moving Average (SA)
WEEK ENDING
Insured Unemployment (SA)
Insured Unemployment (NSA)
4-Wk Moving Average (SA)
Insured Unemployment Rate (SA)2
Insured Unemployment Rate (NSA)2

May 16
2,438,000
2,174,329
3,042,000

May 9
2,687,000
2,356,594
3,543,000

Change
-249,000
-182,265
-501,000

May 2
3,176,000
2,855,561
4,180,500

Prior Year1
213,000
191,931
221,250

May 9
25,073,000
22,942,103
22,002,250
17.2%
15.7%

May 2
22,548,000
20,879,551
19,688,750
15.5%
14.3%

Change
+2,525,000
+2,062,552
+2,313,500
+1.7
+1.4

April 25
22,377,000
21,772,595
17,030,250
15.4%
14.9%

Prior Year1
1,683,000
1,543,472
1,681,750
1.2%
1.1%

INITIAL CLAIMS FILED IN FEDERAL PROGRAMS (UNADJUSTED)
WEEK ENDING
Pandemic Unemployment Assistance
WEEK ENDING
Federal Employees (UCFE)
Newly Discharged Veterans (UCX)

May 16
2,226,921

May 9
850,184

Change
+1,376,737

May 2
1,002,606

May 9
1,723
1,076

May 2
2,033
1,252

Change
-310
-176

Prior Year1
526
488

Change
-900,092
-1,449
-828
+2,718,812
+83,189
-8
-724
+20,267
+1,919,167

Prior Year1
1,536,651
7,544
5,606
NA
NA
0
6,127
8,660
1,564,588

PERSONS CLAIMING UI BENEFITS IN ALL PROGRAMS (UNADJUSTED)
WEEK ENDING
Regular State
Federal Employees
Newly Discharged Veterans
Pandemic Unemployment Assistance3
Pandemic Emergency UC4
Extended Benefits5
State Additional Benefits6
STC / Workshare 7
TOTAL8

May 2
20,823,141
15,405
10,930
6,121,221
162,727
426
5,803
142,725
27,282,378

April 25
21,723,233
16,854
11,758
3,402,409
79,538
434
6,527
122,458
25,363,211

FOOTNOTES
SA - Seasonally Adjusted Data, NSA - Not Seasonally Adjusted Data
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

7.
8.

Prior year is comparable to most recent data.
Most recent week used covered employment of 145,671,710 as denominator.
Information on the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program can be found in UIPL 16-20: PUA Program
information
Information on the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) program can be found in Unemployment
Insurance Program Letter (UIPL) 17-20: PEUC Program information
Information on the EB program can be found here: EB Program information
Some states maintain additional benefit programs for those claimants who exhaust regular benefits, and when applicable,
extended benefits. Information on states that participate, and the extent of benefits paid, can be found starting on page 4-4 of
this link: Extensions and Special Programs PDF
Information on STC/Worksharing can be found starting on page 4-8 of the following link: Extensions and Special Programs
PDF
Totals include PUA Unemployment for the appropriate corresponding week.

4

 Advance State Claims - Not Seasonally Adjusted
STATE
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan*
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Puerto Rico
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virgin Islands
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
US Total

Initial Claims Filed During Week Ended May 16
Advance
Prior Wk
Change
24,528
26,666
-2,138
8,117
7,807
310
32,295
31,570
725
10,662
13,152
-2,490
246,115
212,667
33,448
17,958
22,732
-4,774
26,013
30,046
-4,033
5,437
5,197
240
5,079
5,782
-703
223,927
223,082
845
176,548
242,772
-66,224
11,038
12,297
-1,259
5,475
5,795
-320
72,816
72,671
145
30,311
29,668
643
13,040
15,820
-2,780
11,779
12,234
-455
47,036
69,372
-22,336
28,843
40,125
-11,282
846
10,386
-9,540
34,304
45,485
-11,181
38,328
44,915
-6,587
54,460
55,166
-706
31,539
37,669
-6,130
23,697
23,618
79
26,029
31,145
-5,116
3,384
3,762
-378
5,923
6,362
-439
20,401
21,635
-1,234
8,333
10,016
-1683
41,323
69,689
-28,366
7,948
8,024
-76
226,521
199,419
27,102
45,974
57,354
-11,380
3,031
2,753
278
46,594
52,255
-5,661
23,880
39,079
-15,199
22,281
33,936
-11,655
64,078
73,688
-9,610
10,763
15,067
-4,304
3,852
6,245
-2,393
29,446
33,191
-3,745
3,806
5,269
-1463
28,692
28,377
315
134,381
141,553
-7,172
6,275
7,076
-801
2,098
2,913
-815
31
70
-39
45,788
52,139
-6,351
145,228
110,831
34,397
4,853
6,045
-1,192
31,314
38,710
-7,396
1,911
3,297
-1,386
2,174,329
2,356,594
-182,265

Insured Unemployment For Week Ended May 9
Advance
Prior Wk
Change
194,875
216,856
-21,981
49,501
50,971
-1,470
222,856
228,806
-5,950
118,565
122,522
-3,957
3,586,825
2,850,204
736,621
246,735
261,951
-15,216
300,033
319,529
-19,496
58,434
50,205
8,229
67,244
65,298
1,946
2,131,478
1,035,207
1,096,271
786,170
812,913
-26,743
146,352
110,757
35,595
58,770
65,478
-6,708
733,466
755,912
-22,446
278,192
285,460
-7,268
187,375
189,643
-2,268
113,294
117,977
-4,683
246,320
253,250
-6,930
321,710
325,136
-3,426
90,503
87,280
3,223
247,803
254,473
-6,670
584,313
575,569
8,744
950,775
973,278
-22,503
442,309
429,187
13,122
188,743
208,270
-19,527
259,270
266,230
-6,960
52,782
58,905
-6,123
61,571
68,089
-6,518
364,933
324,444
40,489
114,232
116,768
-2,536
601,963
715,433
-113,470
106,813
101,132
5,681
1,882,786
1,846,154
36,632
601,068
619,809
-18,741
36,717
35,921
796
687,618
745,886
-58,268
132,894
178,122
-45,228
477,688
309,543
168,145
1,015,955
1,049,464
-33,509
109,023
164,034
-55,011
90,056
94,083
-4,027
254,670
268,701
-14,031
25,255
23,388
1,867
326,923
343,212
-16,289
1,321,424
1,181,609
139,815
86,212
91,591
-5,379
54,961
57,040
-2,079
3,578
2,812
766
403,848
392,673
11,175
1,081,020
739,795
341,225
108,395
107,405
990
308,890
313,248
-4,358
18,917
17,928
989
22,942,103
20,879,551
2,062,552

Note: Advance claims are not directly comparable to claims reported in prior weeks. Advance claims are reported by the
state liable for paying the unemployment compensation, whereas previous weeks reported claims reflect claimants by
state of residence. In addition, claims reported as "workshare equivalent" in the previous week are added to the advance
claims as a proxy for the current week's "workshare equivalent" activity.
Denotes state estimate *

5

 Seasonally Adjusted US Weekly UI Claims (in thousands)

Week Ending
May 11, 2019
May 18, 2019
May 25, 2019
June 1, 2019
June 8, 2019
June 15, 2019
June 22, 2019
June 29, 2019
July 6, 2019
July 13, 2019
July 20, 2019
July 27, 2019
August 3, 2019
August 10, 2019
August 17, 2019
August 24, 2019
August 31, 2019
September 7, 2019
September 14, 2019
September 21, 2019
September 28, 2019
October 5, 2019
October 12, 2019
October 19, 2019
October 26, 2019
November 2, 2019
November 9, 2019
November 16, 2019
November 23, 2019
November 30, 2019
December 7, 2019
December 14, 2019
December 21, 2019
December 28, 2019
January 4, 2020
January 11, 2020
January 18, 2020
January 25, 2020
February 1, 2020
February 8, 2020
February 15, 2020
February 22, 2020
February 29, 2020
March 7, 2020
March 14, 2020
March 21, 2020
March 28, 2020
April 4, 2020
April 11, 2020
April 18, 2020
April 25, 2020
May 2, 2020
May 9, 2020
May 16, 2020

Initial
Claims
217
213
218
220
220
219
224
222
211
217
211
216
214
218
215
215
219
208
211
215
218
212
218
213
217
212
222
223
211
206
237
229
218
220
212
207
220
212
201
204
215
220
217
211
282
3,307
6,867
6,615
5,237
4,442
3,867
3,176
2,687
2,438

Change
from
Prior
Week
-8
-4
5
2
0
-1
5
-2
-11
6
-6
5
-2
4
-3
0
4
-11
3
4
3
-6
6
-5
4
-5
10
1
-12
-5
31
-8
-11
2
-8
-5
13
-8
-11
3
11
5
-3
-6
71
3,025
3,560
-252
-1,378
-795
-575
-691
-489
-249

Change
from
Insured
Prior
Unemployment Week
1,683
5
1,675
-8
1,695
20
1,700
5
1,677
-23
1,692
15
1,699
7
1,717
18
1,694
-23
1,682
-12
1,699
17
1,692
-7
1,719
27
1,687
-32
1,699
12
1,683
-16
1,683
0
1,675
-8
1,672
-3
1,667
-5
1,698
31
1,689
-9
1,691
2
1,700
9
1,695
-5
1,702
7
1,697
-5
1,665
-32
1,697
32
1,700
3
1,725
25
1,716
-9
1,728
12
1,775
47
1,759
-16
1,735
-24
1,704
-31
1,753
49
1,678
-75
1,729
51
1,693
-36
1,720
27
1,699
-21
1,702
3
1,784
82
3,059
1,275
7,446
4,387
11,914
4,468
15,819
3,905
18,011
2,192
22,377
4,366
22,548
171
25,073
2,525

4-Week
Average
224.50
221.25
218.25
217.00
217.75
219.25
220.75
221.25
219.00
218.50
215.25
213.75
214.50
214.75
215.75
215.50
216.75
214.25
213.25
213.25
213.00
214.00
215.75
215.25
215.00
215.00
216.00
218.50
217.00
215.50
219.25
220.75
222.50
226.00
219.75
214.25
214.75
212.75
210.00
209.25
208.00
210.00
214.00
215.75
232.50
1,004.25
2,666.75
4,267.75
5,506.50
5,790.25
5,040.25
4,180.50
3,543.00
3,042.00

6

4-Week
Average
1,681.75
1,680.00
1,682.75
1,688.25
1,686.75
1,691.00
1,692.00
1,696.25
1,700.50
1,698.00
1,698.00
1,691.75
1,698.00
1,699.25
1,699.25
1,697.00
1,688.00
1,685.00
1,678.25
1,674.25
1,678.00
1,681.50
1,686.25
1,694.50
1,693.75
1,697.00
1,698.50
1,689.75
1,690.25
1,689.75
1,696.75
1,709.50
1,717.25
1,736.00
1,744.50
1,749.25
1,743.25
1,737.75
1,717.50
1,716.00
1,713.25
1,705.00
1,710.25
1,703.50
1,726.25
2,061.00
3,497.75
6,050.75
9,559.50
13,297.50
17,030.25
19,688.75
22,002.25

IUR
1.2
1.2
1.2
1.2
1.2
1.2
1.2
1.2
1.2
1.2
1.2
1.2
1.2
1.2
1.2
1.2
1.2
1.2
1.2
1.2
1.2
1.2
1.2
1.2
1.2
1.2
1.2
1.2
1.2
1.2
1.2
1.2
1.2
1.2
1.2
1.2
1.2
1.2
1.2
1.2
1.2
1.2
1.2
1.2
1.2
2.1
5.1
8.2
10.9
12.4
15.4
15.5
17.2

 Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Claims - Not Seasonally Adjusted
STATE
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Puerto Rico
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virgin Islands
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
US Total

PUA Initial Claims Filed During Week Ended May 16
Advance
Prior Wk
Change
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1,498
0
1,498
112,791
136,659
-23,868
7,633
9,125
-1,492
7,450
11,750
-4,300
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
5,193
3,985
1,208
74,515
0
74,515
0
68,834
-68,834
4,552
3,910
642
0
0
0
0
0
0
3,396
17,556
-14,160
7,043
11,488
-4,445
15,448
18,982
-3,534
1,184,792
70,464
1,114,328
164,689
138,051
26,638
3,036
7,680
-4,644
0
0
0
7,787
7,082
705
303
2,466
2,163
1,700
1784
-84
0
0
0
7,666
7,666
0
34,000
51,241
-17,241
3,256
4,714
-1,458
177,684
53,042
124,642
-10,349
42,002
52,351
112
638
526
134,468
134,468
0
-4,146
3,016
7,162
0
0
0
60,750
51,591
9,159
0
0
0
3,768
4,954
-1,186
19,706
0
19,706
901
693
208
3,615
5,741
-2,126
43,997
47,088
-3,091
2,600
0
2,600
0
0
0
0
0
0
13,906
0
13,906
61,471
48,665
12,806
0
0
0
8,591
11,194
-2,603
897
1,709
-812
2,226,921
850,184
1,376,737

PUA Continued Claims For Week Ended May 2
May 2
Apr 25
Change
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
528,585
1,227,167
1,755,752
92,584
92,190
394
0
80,570
80,570
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2,370
0
2,370
0
0
0
0
60,354
60,354
13,075
2,144
15,219
0
0
0
0
4,700
-4,700
142,979
86,524
56,455
41,030
49,652
-8,622
111,998
17,071
129,069
657,621
493,083
164,538
1,006,060
215,249
1,221,309
27,993
32,878
60,871
0
0
0
62,350
46,669
109,019
24,161
57,607
-33,446
17,001
16,470
-531
0
0
0
0
0
0
150,500
111,903
262,403
56,070
-9,953
46,117
20,985
69,295
90,280
134,767
-66,083
68,684
6,808
7,494
14,302
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
671,703
671,703
0
0
0
26,554
14,794
41,348
0
0
0
123
1,293
1,416
86,810
13,195
100,005
127,634
0
127,634
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
241,340
43,215
284,555
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
3,396
3,396
6,121,221
3,402,409
2,718,812

Note: Information on the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program can be found in UIPL 16-20: PUA
Program information

7

 Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation Claims - Not Seasonally Adjusted
STATE
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Puerto Rico
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virgin Islands
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
US Total

May 2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
782
0
4,528
0
0
0
17
12
3,473
0
26,986
11,934
0
10,884
0
0
0
0
0
1,185
48,190
0
0
5,102
0
0
1,365
0
503
0
0
41
0
0
0
0
0
47,725
0
0
0
162,727

PEUC Claims Filed During Weeks Ended:
April 25
Change
April 18
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
193
0
0
0
0
0
11
15
2,361
0
8,457
10,619
0
213
0
0
0
0
0
1,030
43,414
0
0
0
0
0
1,251
0
0
0
0
60
0
0
0
0
0
11,899
15
0
0
79,538

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
589
0
4,528
0
0
0
6
-3
1,112
0
18,529
1,315
0
10,671
0
0
0
0
0
155
4,776
0
0
5,102
0
0
114
0
503
0
0
-19
0
0
0
0
0
35,826
-15
0
0
83,189

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
7
10
0
0
0
8,363
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
33,362
0
0
0
0
0
1,076
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
9,471
16
0
0
52,305

April 11
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
6
3
0
0
0
2,378
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
18,010
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
7,015
2
0
0
27,416

Note: Information on the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) program can be found in
Unemployment Insurance Program Letter (UIPL) 17-20: PEUC Program information

8

 INITIAL CLAIMS FILED DURING WEEK ENDED
MAY 9

STATE NAME
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Puerto Rico
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virgin Islands
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
Totals

STATE
26,666
7,807
31,570
13,152
212,667
22,732
30,046
5,197
5,782
223,082
242,772
12,297
5,795
72,671
29,668
15,820
12,234
69,372
40,125
10,386
45,485
44,915
55,166
37,669
23,618
31,145
3,762
6,362
21,635
10,016
69,689
8,024
199,419
57,354
2,753
52,255
39,079
33,936
73,688
15,067
6,245
33,191
5,269
28,377
141,553
7,076
2,913
70
52,139
110,831
6,045
38,710
3,297
2,356,594

CHANGE FROM
LAST
YEAR
WEEK
AGO
UCFE 1
-2,319
24,262
35
-911
7,036
9
-11,453
27,306
6
-296
11,470
3
-103,590
173,049
201
-5,628
20,967
13
-6,092
27,896
55
-1,100
4,631
2
-2,331
5,386
39
48,222
216,680
45
14,420
237,700
38
-2,817
11,068
2
-1,700
5,059
16
-1,805
63,835
10
-12,622
27,619
21
-7,421
13,616
25
-3,725
10,688
3
-13,063
67,663
2
-10,816
38,097
44
-5,727
9,922
1
-17,768
42,982
8
-10,969
40,848
71
-12,233
50,150
31
-3,823
34,961
25
-2,127
22,270
7
-21,382
28,161
6
-834
3,167
12
-56
5,674
7
-6,915
19,544
5
-2,459
9,609
14
-18,637
62,017
21
-5,651
7,411
4
4,309
186,868
74
-28,602
54,143
69
-1,291
2,231
6
-9,232
46,482
12
-54,806
37,350
26
-14,184
30,603
56
-20,757
62,751
321
-6,819
13,931
3
-2,843
5,514
9
-14,482
31,238
39
1,340
5,082
16
-7,946
25,956
37
-102,382
128,594
188
-1,916
6,153
6
-962
2,479
0
25
35
0
-7,492
49,658
16
8,615
105,708
22
-7,182
5,298
2
825
34,480
37
443
3,032
3
-498,967 2,168,330
1,723

UCX 1
23
1
6
1
174
31
19
5
3
21
33
0
3
15
14
4
3
5
25
1
31
16
21
16
4
4
3
1
4
1
20
0
30
62
3
32
17
11
95
5
2
27
1
29
207
6
0
0
19
13
2
7
0
1,076

INSURED UNEMPLOYMENT FOR WEEK ENDED
MAY 2
ALL PROGRAMS
EXCLUDING
RAILROAD
CHANGE FROM
RETIREMENT
LAST
STATE (%) 2 WEEK
YEAR AGO UCFE 1 UCX 1
216,856 11.2
2,172
202,847
118
62
217,036
50,971 16.5
1,078
43,691
143
31
51,145
228,806 7.9
10,046
203,927
202
125
229,133
122,522 10.2
3,190
113,174
109
52
122,683
2,850,204 16.4 -1,958,157 2,519,441
2,595 1,813
2,854,612
261,951 9.8
33,268
243,857
213
202
262,366
319,529 19.3
21,980
290,575
121
101
319,751
50,205 11.3
-2,296
46,373
9
18
50,232
65,298 11.3
6,664
58,992
739
12
66,049
1,035,207 12.1 590,646
1,001,510
293
425
1,035,925
812,913 18.5 -72,851
789,170
469
326
813,708
110,757 17.8
22,815
104,112
120
75
110,952
65,478
8.9
-6,316
60,335
71
35
65,584
755,912 12.8
59,941
669,381
485
198
756,595
285,460 9.4
14,212
271,958
59
92
285,611
189,643 12.4
10,033
174,326
144
57
189,844
117,977 8.6
-2,724
109,724
69
52
118,098
253,250 13.4
-3,067
237,908
106
167
253,523
325,136 17.2
15,123
311,727
105
42
325,283
87,280 14.5
10,507
81,897
49
13
87,342
254,473 10.0
27,501
231,276
214
178
254,865
575,569 16.1
5,613
523,798
245
219
576,033
973,278 22.6 -23,096
930,816
226
221
973,725
429,187 15.0
8,975
395,422
188
125
429,500
208,270 18.8
46,192
200,875
148
44
208,462
266,230 9.5
19,567
249,071
131
64
266,425
58,905 12.9
-4,229
53,296
216
42
59,163
68,089
7.1
-793
64,984
18
9
68,116
324,444 23.5
20,871
307,127
150
99
324,693
116,768 18.0
1,188
113,481
46
17
116,831
715,433 17.8
72,782
636,708
409
406
716,248
101,132 12.6
4,975
92,392
117
65
101,314
1,846,154 19.6
96,583
1,730,029
581
504
1,847,239
619,809 14.1
28,764
601,408
491
531
620,831
35,921
8.7
94
33,704
28
20
35,969
745,886 14.0 -13,549
702,394
197
452
746,535
178,122 11.4
23,451
164,562
71
98
178,291
309,543 16.2
554
284,182
523
99
310,165
1,049,464 18.0 -183,835
960,338
2,704
751
1,052,919
164,034 19.2
18,894
150,216
241
76
164,351
94,083 19.9
-3,490
87,138
97
58
94,238
268,701 12.9
8,292
255,978
70
111
268,882
23,388
5.6
-403
22,205
81
19
23,488
343,212 10.5
2,963
328,658
137
125
343,474
1,181,609 9.6
48,285
1,073,507
636
1,340
1,183,585
91,591
6.2
-1,281
84,507
114
43
91,748
57,040 18.8
-3,495
53,751
8
6
57,054
2,812
7.9
930
2,412
4
0
2,816
392,673 10.5
15,984
374,869
411
416
393,500
739,795 22.1 135,747
693,577
440
765
741,000
107,405 16.1
-2,972
98,485
74
53
107,532
313,248 11.0
-777
288,410
132
70
313,450
17,928
6.6
407
15,964
38
6
17,972
20,879,551 14.3 -893,044
19,340,465 15,405 10,930
20,905,886

Figures appearing in columns showing over-the-week changes reflect all revisions in data for prior week submitted by
state agencies.
1. The Unemployment Compensation program for Federal Employees (UCFE) and the Unemployment Compensation for
Ex-servicemembers (UCX) exclude claims filed jointly under other programs to avoid duplication.
2. Rate is not seasonally adjusted. The source of U.S. total covered employment is BLS.

9

 UNADJUSTED INITIAL CLAIMS FOR WEEK ENDED MAY 9, 2020
STATES WITH AN INCREASE OF MORE THAN 1,000
State
FL

Change
+48,222

GA
WA

+14,420
+8,615

NY

+4,309

SD

+1,340

State Supplied Comment
Layoffs in the agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting, manufacturing, wholesale trade, retail
trade, and service industries. Increase in initial claims due to COVID-19.
Layoffs in the health care and social assistance and retail trade industries.
Layoffs in the utilities, information, finance and insurance, educational services, and public
administration industries.
Layoffs in the transportation and warehousing, educational services, and public administration
industries.
No comment.

STATES WITH A DECREASE OF MORE THAN 1,000
State
CA
TX
OK
NC

Change
-103,590
-102,382
-54,806
-28,602

MO
PA

-21,382
-20,757

NJ
MD
SC
OR
KY
IN
MI
AZ
MA
LA
OH
TN
VA
IA
WV
NV
PR
CT
ME

-18,637
-17,768
-14,482
-14,184
-13,063
-12,622
-12,233
-11,453
-10,969
-10,816
-9,232
-7,946
-7,492
-7,421
-7,182
-6,915
-6,819
-6,092
-5,727

NM
CO
MN
KS
RI
HI
NH
DC
AL
MS
UT

-5,651
-5,628
-3,823
-3,725
-2,843
-2,817
-2,459
-2,331
-2,319
-2,127
-1,916

State Supplied Comment
No comment.
No comment.
No comment.
Fewer layoffs in the accommodation and food services, administrative, support, waste
management, and remediation services, and health care and social assistance industries.
Fewer layoffs in the accommodation and food services and retail trade industries.
Fewer layoffs in the construction, accommodation and food services, other services, and health
care and social assistance industries.
No comment.
No comment.
No comment.
No comment.
No comment.
No comment.
Fewer layoffs in the manufacturing and health care and social assistance industries.
No comment.
No comment.
No comment.
No comment.
No comment.
No comment.
No comment.
No comment.
No comment.
No comment.
No comment.
Fewer layoffs in the retail trade, manufacturing, health care and social assistance, educational
services, accommodation and food services, administrative, support, waste management, and
remediation services, professional, scientific, and technical services, public administration, and
arts, entertainment, and recreation industries.
No comment.
No comment.
No comment.
No comment.
No comment.
No comment.
No comment.
No comment.
Fewer layoffs in the manufacturing, health care and social assistance, and retail trade industries.
No comment.
No comment.

10

 IL -1,805 No comment.
ID -1,700 No comment.
ND -1,291 No comment.
DE - 1 , 100 No comment.

TECHNICAL NOTES
This news release presents the weekly unemployment insurance (UI) claims reported by each state's unemployment
insurance program offices. These claims may be used for monitoring workload volume, assessing state program
operations and for assessing labor market conditions. States initially report claims directly taken by the state liable for the
benefit payments, regardless of where the claimant who filed the claim resided. These are the basis for the advance initial
claims and continued claims reported each week. These data come from ETA 538, Advance Weekly Initial and
Continued Claims Report. The following week initial claims and continued claims are revised based on a second
reporting by states that reflect the claimants by state of residence. These data come from the ETA 539, Weekly Claims
and Extended Benefits Trigger Data Report.
A. Initial Claims
An initial claim is a claim filed by an unemployed individual after a separation from an employer. The claimant requests
a determination of basic eligibility for the UI program. When an initial claim is filed with a state, certain programmatic
activities take place and these result in activity counts including the count of initial claims. The count of U.S. initial
claims for unemployment insurance is a leading economic indicator because it is an indication of emerging labor market
conditions in the country. However, these are weekly administrative data which are difficult to seasonally adjust, making
the series subject to some volatility.
B. Continued Weeks Claimed
A person who has already filed an initial claim and who has experienced a week of unemployment then files a continued
claim to claim benefits for that week of unemployment. Continued claims are also referred to as insured unemployment.
The count of U.S. continued weeks claimed is also a good indicator of labor market conditions. Continued claims reflect
the current number of insured unemployed workers filing for UI benefits in the nation. While continued claims are not a
leading indicator (they roughly coincide with economic cycles at their peaks and lag at cycle troughs), they provide
confirming evidence of the direction of the U.S. economy.
C. Seasonal Adjustments and Annual Revisions
Over the course of a year, the weekly changes in the levels of initial claims and continued claims undergo regularly
occurring fluctuations. These fluctuations may result from seasonal changes in weather, major holidays, the opening and
closing of schools, or other similar events. Because these seasonal events follow a more or less regular pattern each year,
their influence on the level of a series can be tempered by adjusting for regular seasonal variation. These adjustments
make trend and cycle developments easier to spot. At the beginning of each calendar year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics
provides the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) with a set of seasonal factors to apply to the unadjusted
data during that year. Concurrent with the implementation and release of the new seasonal factors, ETA incorporates
revisions to the UI claims historical series caused by updates to the unadjusted data.

Weekly Claims Archives
Weekly Claims Data
U.S. Department of Labor news materials are accessible at http://www.dol.gov. The Department's Reasonable Accommodation
Resource Center converts Departmental information and documents into alternative formats, which include Braille and large
print. For alternative format requests, please contact the Department at (202) 693-7828 (voice) or (800) 877-8339 (federal
relay).

U.S. Department of Labor
Employment and Training Administration
Washington, D.C. 20210
Release Number: USDL 20-1058-NAT

Program Contacts:
Kevin Stapleton: (202) 693-3009
Media Contact:
(202) 693-4676

12