News Release

Connect with DOL at
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TRANSMISSION OF MATERIALS IN THIS RELEASE IS EMBARGOED UNTIL
8:30 A.M. (Eastern) Thursday, October 1, 2020
TECHNICAL NOTE: In response to recommendations resulting from an internal review of state operations, the state of
California has announced a two week pause in its processing of initial claims for unemployment insurance benefits. The
state will use this time to reduce its claims processing backlog and implement fraud prevention technology. Recognizing
that the pause will likely result in significant week to week swings in initial claims for California and the nation unrelated
to any changes in economic conditions, California’s initial claims published in the UI Claims News Release will reflect the
level reported during the last week prior to the pause. Upon completion of the pause and the post-pause processing, the
state will submit revised reports to reflect claims in the week during which they were filed.
For additional information on California’s efforts:
https://www.edd.ca.gov/About_EDD/pdf/news-20-49.pdf

UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE WEEKLY CLAIMS
SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA
In the week ending September 26, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 837,000, a decrease of
36,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 3,000 from 870,000 to
873,000. The 4-week moving average was 867,250, a decrease of 11,750 from the previous week's revised average. The
previous week's average was revised up by 750 from 878,250 to 879,000.
The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 8.1 percent for the week ending September 19, a
decrease of 0.6 percentage point from the previous week's revised rate. The previous week's rate was revised up by 0.1
from 8.6 to 8.7 percent. The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending
September 19 was 11,767,000, a decrease of 980,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level
was revised up 167,000 from 12,580,000 to 12,747,000. The 4-week moving average was 12,701,250, a decrease of
381,250 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 41,750 from
13,040,750 to 13,082,500.

1

 2

 UNADJUSTED DATA
The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 786,942 in the week ending
September 26, a decrease of 40,263 (or -4.9 percent) from the previous week. The seasonal factors had expected a
decrease of 4,251 (or -0.5 percent) from the previous week. There were 172,968 initial claims in the comparable week in
2019. In addition, for the week ending September 26, 52 states reported 650,120 initial claims for Pandemic
Unemployment Assistance.
The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 7.8 percent during the week ending September 19, a decrease of
0.7 percentage point from the prior week. The advance unadjusted number for persons claiming UI benefits in state
programs totaled 11,410,703, a decrease of 1,020,192 (or -8.2 percent) from the preceding week. The seasonal factors
had expected a decrease of 40,431 (or -0.3 percent) from the previous week. A year earlier the rate was 1.0 percent and
the volume was 1,383,346.

The total number of people claiming benefits in all programs for the week ending September 12 was 26,529,810, an
increase of 484,856 from the previous week. There were 1,423,884 persons claiming benefits in all programs in the
comparable week in 2019.
During the week ending September 12, Extended Benefits were available in the following 47 states: Alaska, Arizona,
Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana,
Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri,
Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio,
Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, the Virgin
Islands, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

3

 Initial claims for UI benefits filed by former Federal civilian employees totaled 1,089 in the week ending September 19,
an increase of 135 from the prior week. There were 829 initial claims filed by newly discharged veterans, an increase of
35 from the preceding week.
There were 13,307 former Federal civilian employees claiming UI benefits for the week ending September 12, an
increase of 282 from the previous week. Newly discharged veterans claiming benefits totaled 14,412, an increase of 889
from the prior week.
During the week ending Sep 12, 50 states reported 11,828,338 individuals claiming Pandemic Unemployment Assistance
benefits and 50 states reported 1,828,370 individuals claiming Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation
benefits.
The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending September 12 were in Hawaii (21.3), California (16.1),
Nevada (14.7), New York (13.7), Puerto Rico (12.8), Louisiana (12.6), Georgia (12.2), the Virgin Islands (11.9), District
of Columbia (11.2), and Connecticut (10.6).
The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending September 19 were in New York (+7,893), Georgia (+7,336),
Massachusetts (+5,186), New Jersey (+5,038), and Oregon (+3,251), while the largest decreases were in Maryland
(-2,197), Michigan (-2,169), Indiana (-1,543), Illinois (-1,408), and Louisiana (-1,340).

4

 UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE DATA FOR REGULAR STATE PROGRAMS

WEEK ENDING
Initial Claims (SA)
Initial Claims (NSA)
4-Wk Moving Average (SA)

September 26 September 19
837,000
873,000
786,942
827,205
867,250
879,000

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

September 19 September 12
11,767,000
12,747,000
11,410,703
12,430,895
12,701,250
13,082,500
8.1%
8.7%
7.8%
8.5%

Change September 12
-36,000
866,000
-40,263
796,015
-11,750
913,500
Change
-980,000
-1,020,192
-381,250
-0.6
-0.7

September 5
12,747,000
12,440,863
13,518,750
8.7%
8.5%

Prior Year1
218,000
172,968
213,000
Prior Year1
1,667,000
1,383,346
1,674,250
1.2%
1.0%

INITIAL CLAIMS FILED IN FEDERAL PROGRAMS (UNADJUSTED)
WEEK ENDING
Pandemic Unemployment Assistance

September 26
650,120

September 19
615,599

Change
+34,521

September 12
675,154

WEEK ENDING
Federal Employees (UCFE)
Newly Discharged Veterans (UCX)

September 19
1,089
829

September 12
954
794

Change
+135
+35

Prior Year1
570
499

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

September 12
12,363,352
13,307
14,412
11,828,338
1,828,370
267,490
2,343
212,198
26,529,810

September 5
12,373,201
13,025
13,523
11,510,888
1,631,645
279,839
2,295
220,538
26,044,954

Change
-9,849
+282
+889
+317,450
+196,725
-12,349
+48
-8,340
+484,856

Prior Year1
1,397,264
6,561
5,721
NA
NA
0
5,076
9,262
1,423,884

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 146,125,989 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.

5

 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 September 26
Advance
Prior Wk
Change
8,202
8,679
-477
3,937
3,631
306
10,410
9,065
1,345
5,524
5,778
-254
226,179
226,179
0
4,973
5,115
-142
5,046
5,141
-95
1,688
1,775
-87
1,734
1,549
185
29,360
39,028
-9,668
43,072
49,421
-6,349
6,102
6,750
-648
2,826
3,437
-611
27,903
25,976
1,927
10,742
11,702
-960
5,018
6,117
-1,099
15,071
17,474
-2,403
7,254
8,413
-1,159
15,401
14,842
559
1,465
1,431
34
8,459
5,661
2,798
24,631
23,574
1,057
18,040
17,402
638
9,581
10,901
-1,320
4,157
5,180
-1,023
6,503
8,153
-1,650
3,084
3,221
-137
2,926
3,132
-206
9,347
8,198
1,149
2,005
2,118
-113
26,317
24,680
1,637
3,496
3,637
-141
66,568
69,790
-3,222
11,899
13,406
-1,507
928
792
136
17,152
17,618
-466
4,512
5,434
-922
5,293
8,055
-2,762
22,407
22,762
-355
684
1,149
-465
3,041
2,830
211
5,132
4,906
226
233
551
-318
9,802
11,793
-1,991
40,073
48,426
-8,353
2,469
2,545
-76
570
644
-74
12
309
-297
11,263
10,582
681
21,024
23,105
-2,081
1,776
2,224
-448
10,923
12,178
-1,255
728
746
-18
786,942
827,205
-40,263

Insured Unemployment For Week Ended September 19
Advance
Prior Wk
Change
28,676
37,431
-8,755
22,060
24,089
-2,029
170,699
190,507
-19,808
31,846
40,856
-9,010
2,802,145
2,802,145
0
145,528
151,250
-5,722
161,387
175,902
-14,515
29,325
28,983
342
58,505
64,903
-6,398
317,726
374,181
-56,455
482,075
536,886
-54,811
125,835
132,467
-6,632
8,911
10,708
-1,797
488,098
536,818
-48,720
147,559
161,143
-13,584
58,744
62,938
-4,194
58,249
52,959
5,290
100,034
113,140
-13,106
204,213
238,724
-34,511
23,736
28,071
-4,335
109,342
161,421
-52,079
321,471
361,495
-40,024
401,381
441,816
-40,435
179,700
192,217
-12,517
70,203
84,253
-14,050
67,879
77,725
-9,846
19,400
22,380
-2,980
18,798
21,588
-2,790
180,469
203,408
-22,939
34,335
37,241
-2,906
321,153
353,590
-32,437
77,671
82,386
-4,715
1,051,205
1,294,494
-243,289
126,566
145,078
-18,512
13,353
12,120
1,233
250,127
323,572
-73,445
87,556
104,908
-17,352
167,871
154,948
12,923
484,830
541,280
-56,450
103,851
110,490
-6,639
32,312
38,774
-6,462
80,594
94,304
-13,710
5,987
6,950
-963
145,441
167,778
-22,337
904,615
953,168
-48,553
25,775
28,362
-2,587
21,439
22,541
-1,102
4,464
4,358
106
172,144
188,195
-16,051
294,415
254,002
40,413
44,594
45,429
-835
118,660
128,663
-10,003
7,751
7,860
-109
11,410,703
12,430,895
-1,020,192

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.

6

 Seasonally Adjusted US Weekly UI Claims (in thousands)

Week Ending
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
May 23, 2020
May 30, 2020
June 6, 2020
June 13, 2020
June 20, 2020
June 27, 2020
July 4, 2020
July 11, 2020
July 18, 2020
July 25, 2020
August 1, 2020
August 8, 2020
August 15, 2020
August 22, 2020
August 29, 2020
September 5, 2020
September 12, 2020
September 19, 2020
September 26, 2020

Initial
Claims
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
2,446
2,123
1,897
1,566
1,540
1,482
1,408
1,310
1,308
1,422
1,435
1,191
971
1,104
1,011
884
893
866
873
837

Change
from
Prior
Week
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
-241
-323
-226
-331
-26
-58
-74
-98
-2
114
13
-244
-220
133
-93
-127
9
-27
7
-36

Change
from
Insured
Prior
Unemployment Week
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
24,912
2,364
20,841
-4,071
21,268
427
20,606
-662
20,289
-317
19,231
-1,058
18,760
-471
17,760
-1,000
17,304
-456
16,151
-1,153
16,951
800
16,090
-861
15,480
-610
14,759
-721
14,492
-267
13,292
-1,200
13,544
252
12,747
-797
12,747
0
11,767
-980

4-Week
Average
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
3,044.00
2,608.00
2,288.25
2,008.00
1,781.50
1,621.25
1,499.00
1,435.00
1,377.00
1,362.00
1,368.75
1,339.00
1,254.75
1,175.25
1,069.25
992.50
973.00
913.50
879.00
867.25

7

4-Week
Average
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
21,962.00
22,669.50
22,392.25
21,906.75
20,751.00
20,348.50
19,721.50
19,010.00
18,263.75
17,493.75
17,041.50
16,624.00
16,168.00
15,820.00
15,205.25
14,505.75
14,021.75
13,518.75
13,082.50
12,701.25

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
2.1
5.1
8.2
10.9
12.4
15.4
15.5
17.1
14.3
14.6
14.1
13.9
13.2
12.9
12.2
11.8
11.1
11.6
11.0
10.6
10.1
9.9
9.1
9.3
8.7
8.7
8.1

 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 September 26
Advance
Prior Wk
Change
1,361
1,815
-454
272
301
-29
220,156
204,498
15,658
4,670
6,068
-1,398
99,824
99,824
0
2,413
1,899
514
766
908
-142
127
122
5
186
217
-31
19,734
9,789
9,945
5,458
6,822
-1,364
4,402
3,148
1,254
21
56
-35
5,360
4,214
1,146
11,675
11,987
-312
857
920
-63
10,159
13,042
-2,883
2,262
2,396
-134
12,700
10,256
2,444
4,062
1,230
2,832
3,752
4,574
-822
10,925
11,313
-388
14,655
24,181
-9,526
285
338
-53
2,128
1,784
344
702
860
-158
1,660
1,991
-331
1,774
1,725
49
11,202
11,438
-236
380
424
-44
17,238
12,298
4,940
1,291
1,400
-109
33,141
41,016
-7,875
11,024
9,669
1,355
887
897
-10
18,461
15,397
3,064
780
789
-9
4,701
6,545
-1,844
46,789
40,572
6,217
26,969
11,419
15,550
6,820
9,385
-2,565
3,822
3,470
352
49
51
-2
7,157
5,142
2,015
6,822
7,667
-845
676
738
-62
52
50
2
76
114
-38
3,106
3,397
-291
4,088
5,293
-1,205
0
0
0
2,131
2,011
120
112
139
-27
650,120
615,599
34,521

PUA Continued Claims For Week Ended Sep 12
Sep 12
Sep 5
Change
36,793
31,852
4,941
10,397
10,721
-324
415,732
372,461
43,271
67,705
70,300
-2,595
3,493,940
3,375,498
118,442
64,066
59,912
4,154
53,597
53,152
445
7,705
6,776
929
14,649
14,546
103
0
0
0
270,771
240,294
30,477
104,010
94,867
9,143
11,417
11,506
-89
118,875
116,305
2,570
261,488
285,110
-23,622
12,960
12,530
430
255,416
246,275
9,141
51,478
41,525
9,953
134,309
135,451
-1,142
17,721
18,162
-441
247,123
258,048
-10,925
472,752
457,050
15,702
779,433
773,160
6,273
47,752
48,793
-1,041
32,735
35,274
-2,539
58,978
57,053
1,925
47,244
55,497
-8,253
31,360
24,705
6,655
95,681
94,736
945
16,416
14,377
2,039
399,889
380,682
19,207
40,434
39,131
1,303
1,482,560
1,250,872
231,688
172,114
158,721
13,393
6,078
5,770
308
396,985
365,553
31,432
13,978
13,123
855
118,349
85,443
32,906
834,218
824,805
9,413
182,280
441,260
-258,980
50,468
62,009
-11,541
62,824
63,200
-376
2,360
2,623
-263
153,889
152,239
1,650
290,944
269,640
21,304
6,165
6,522
-357
9,327
9,559
-232
0
0
0
205,981
201,749
4,232
114,600
114,730
-130
0
0
0
50,097
45,154
4,943
2,295
2,167
128
11,828,338
11,510,888
317,450

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

8

 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

September 12
76,596
6,832
20,204
21,969
446,281
31,083
12,811
2,685
2,126
22,129
0
0
6,962
33,923
8,591
22,817
10,990
0
2,871
8,649
12,762
55,764
64,447
36,733
12,231
41,710
4,706
2,565
31,382
832
60,121
6,942
161,243
214,315
4,633
21,001
13,653
19,113
50,699
5,461
7,959
60,082
513
52,333
30,830
8,605
2,348
103
65,574
8,299
5,053
26,744
2,095
1,828,370

PEUC Claims Filed During Weeks Ended:
September 5
Change
August 29
77,955
5,890
19,164
20,826
400,546
21,097
11,549
2,329
2,093
24,620
0
0
7,144
32,208
7,752
20,898
10,678
0
2,943
7,869
12,204
46,320
52,289
34,455
10,275
38,192
4,387
2,474
28,121
1,024
55,989
6,424
96,852
220,959
4,372
19,190
11,085
17,616
49,564
0
7,748
54,415
545
48,091
23,506
8,583
2,060
143
58,726
10,289
4,651
23,595
1,940
1,631,645

-1,359
942
1,040
1,143
45,735
9,986
1,262
356
33
-2,491
0
0
-182
1,715
839
1,919
312
0
-72
780
558
9,444
12,158
2,278
1,956
3,518
319
91
3,261
-192
4,132
518
64,391
-6,644
261
1,811
2,568
1,497
1,135
5,461
211
5,667
-32
4,242
7,324
22
288
-40
6,848
-1,990
402
3,149
155
196,725

78,755
5,597
18,228
21,596
369,443
25,732
12,575
2,010
2,107
0
0
0
7,154
32,489
7,393
16,670
9,903
0
3,049
7,714
11,381
44,668
55,402
32,149
11,045
34,654
4,369
2,538
25,898
1,041
55,831
6,223
83,372
226,731
4,332
18,374
8,912
18,250
46,375
4,780
6,571
48,193
394
26,798
29,051
8,318
1,895
5
52,800
6,414
4,808
23,216
1,963
1,527,166

August 22
79,413
4,878
16,536
21,825
355,514
16,593
12,288
2,172
2,148
0
0
0
6,985
32,692
7,339
18,683
8,468
0
3,065
7,076
10,829
43,141
44,737
29,916
7,730
28,791
4,079
2,704
23,760
956
54,589
5,522
75,994
214,678
4,221
17,570
5,561
16,712
44,477
4,927
6,008
39,692
442
19,075
29,168
8,377
1,589
16
47,405
5,222
4,789
22,312
1,819
1,422,483

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

9

 Extended Benefits (EB) 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

September 12
0
1,154
1,042
1,380
59,154
60
5,699
120
2
475
0
10
26
19,534
3,080
3,064
991
0
1,556
901
3,961
12,174
1
6,146
1,762
4,275
628
231
3,767
417
25,030
1,687
36,274
17,376
332
9,360
0
3,794
18,279
492
1,412
5,213
0
2,105
0
906
522
0
2,537
10,185
22
17
337
267,490

EB Claims Filed During Weeks Ended:
September 5
0
1,035
644
1,171
90,396
62
5,105
142
3
433
0
14
30
19,186
2,865
2,818
975
0
1,329
840
3,528
10,511
0
5,954
1,478
4,219
621
211
3,529
384
23,015
1,584
33,832
10,523
347
8,431
0
3,350
21,800
448
1,222
4,721
0
1,892
0
766
496
0
0
9,488
27
16
437
279,878

Change
0
119
398
209
-31,242
-2
594
-22
-1
42
0
-4
-4
348
215
246
16
0
227
61
433
1,663
1
192
284
56
7
20
238
33
2,015
103
2,442
6,853
-15
929
0
444
-3,521
44
190
492
0
213
0
140
26
0
2,537
697
-5
1
-100
-12,388

Note: Information on the EB program can be found here: EB Program information

10

 INITIAL CLAIMS FILED DURING WEEK ENDED
SEPTEMBER 19

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
8,679
3,631
9,065
5,778
226,179
5,115
5,141
1,775
1,549
39,028
49,421
6,750
3,437
25,976
11,702
6,117
17,474
8,413
14,842
1,431
5,661
23,574
17,402
10,901
5,180
8,153
3,221
3,132
8,198
2,118
24,680
3,637
69,790
13,406
792
17,618
5,434
8,055
22,762
1,149
2,830
4,906
551
11,793
48,426
2,545
644
309
10,582
23,105
2,224
12,178
746
827,205

CHANGE FROM
LAST YEAR
WEEK AGO UCFE 1 UCX 1
-169
6,680
21
10
38
2,823
14
2
-950
5,384
6
7
1,193
4,482
2
2
175 191,018 229
144
-56
3,697
13
16
-34
2,893
21
1
177
1,337
2
2
89
1,142
24
1
1,763 33,056
20
14
7,336 45,159
61
48
-557
5,814
6
14
-235
2,776
1
2
-1,408 19,438
15
9
-1,543 8,905
10
6
1,465
4,379
6
4
2,452 14,872
4
3
-259
6,177
0
11
-1,340 13,189
17
20
-4
1,049
0
0
-2,197 3,192
7
8
5,186 19,800
21
24
-2,169 9,571
18
8
-280
8,251
17
6
645
4,313
8
1
-783
4,507
4
2
236
2,604
3
2
405
2,691
6
3
-134
6,311
5
3
-158
1,762
4
2
5,038 17,962
31
26
200
2,956
14
3
7,893 58,950
11
43
-31
10,302
33
54
73
587
5
2
1,233 12,731
6
22
-162
3,774
14
7
3,251
4,418
20
13
1,015 13,241
145
42
-36
118
1
1
-196
2,168
3
1
645
2,990
4
18
175
427
6
1
477
8,498
21
22
-960
35,986
151
153
262
1,689
21
3
32
408
0
0
117
275
0
0
482
8,424
6
6
1,937 17,786
17
25
343
1,359
2
2
469
9,027
13
8
49
463
0
2
31,190 651,811 1,089 829

INSURED UNEMPLOYMENT FOR WEEK ENDED
SEPTEMBER 12
ALL PROGRAMS
CHANGE FROM
EXCLUDING
LAST
YEAR
RAILROAD
STATE (%) 2 WEEK
AGO UCFE 1 UCX 1
RETIREMENT
37,431
1.9 -2,767
22,371
73
55
37,559
24,089
7.8 -1,673
19,369
107
52
24,248
190,507 6.6 -3,972 166,145
269
261
191,037
40,856
3.4 1,930
30,655
91
33
40,980
2,802,145 16.1 77,814 2,522,969 2,012
3,198
2,807,355
151,250 5.6 -5,841 135,871
151
386
151,787
175,902 10.6 8,563
149,779
581
354
176,837
28,983
6.5 -551
25,249
16
21
29,020
64,903 11.2 -768
58,459
782
18
65,703
374,181 4.3 -39,993 335,030
234
269
374,684
536,886 12.2 38,073 512,634
635
660
538,181
132,467 21.3 9,494
126,149
296
227
132,990
10,708
1.4 -802
7,276
10
20
10,738
536,818 9.1 28,938 460,469
647
258
537,723
161,143 5.3 -3,472 148,317
117
126
161,386
62,938
4.1 -2,484
50,835
123
48
63,109
52,959
3.9 -2,446
46,116
83
60
53,102
113,140 6.0 5,990
97,125
141
256
113,537
238,724 12.6 -11,520 224,209
160
59
238,943
28,071
4.6 -2,541
25,106
32
26
28,129
161,421 6.3 -3,447 138,337
275
204
161,900
361,495 10.1 -13,697 316,674
262
170
361,927
441,816 10.3 48,111 408,017
172
170
442,158
192,217 6.7 -15,428 169,890
167
142
192,526
84,253
7.6 -2,854
76,900
111
44
84,408
77,725
2.8 -9,107
62,006
93
62
77,880
22,380
4.9 -596
18,823
73
46
22,499
21,588
2.2 -756
19,002
21
10
21,619
203,408 14.7 -2,758 187,081
115
148
203,671
37,241
5.7 -2,697
34,587
10
14
37,265
353,590 8.8 -13,083 280,173
231
436
354,257
82,386 10.2 -2,157
75,030
368
111
82,865
1,294,494 13.7 2,542 1,189,818 362
670
1,295,526
145,078 3.3 -6,240 126,489
286
489
145,853
12,120
2.9 -678
10,592
35
13
12,168
323,572 6.0
247
286,694
166
335
324,073
104,908 6.7 -5,999
90,513
113
126
105,147
154,948 8.1 15,636 132,426
218
147
155,313
541,280 9.3 -848
455,623 1,079
534
542,893
110,490 12.8 -10,712 93,417
155
51
110,696
38,774
8.2 -7,067
33,200
34
22
38,830
94,304
4.5 -7,152
81,039
42
95
94,441
6,950
1.7
277
6,104
154
4
7,108
167,778 5.1 -11,174 151,947
121
127
168,026
953,168 7.7 -23,420 837,671 1,003
2,515
956,686
28,362
1.9 -2,496
22,494
44
26
28,432
22,541
7.4 -1,420
20,742
4
2
22,547
4,358
11.9 228
3,886
2
4
4,364
188,195 5.0 -13,421 170,944
408
465
189,068
254,002 7.5 -9,243 213,172
382
698
255,082
45,429
6.8 -462
37,606
75
55
45,559
128,663 4.5 -2,009 109,708
150
85
128,898
7,860
2.9
-60
6,556
16
5
7,881
12,430,895 8.5 -9,968 11,031,294 13,307 14,412
12,458,614

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.

11

 UNADJUSTED INITIAL CLAIMS FOR WEEK ENDED SEPTEMBER 19, 2020
STATES WITH AN INCREASE OF MORE THAN 1,000
State
NY

Change
+7,893

GA

+7,336

MA
NJ
OR
KS
WA
FL

+5,186
+5,038
+3,251
+2,452
+1,937
+1,763

IA

+1,465

OH
AR
PA

+1,233
+1,193
+1,015

State Supplied Comment
Layoffs in the accommodation and food services, construction, and health care and social
assistance industries.
Layoffs in the accommodation and food services, retail trade, transportation and warehousing,
and health care and social assistance industries.
No comment.
No comment.
No comment.
No comment
No comment.
Layoffs in the agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, manufacturing, wholesale trade, retail
trade, and service industries.
Layoffs in the manufacturing, construction, accommodation and food services, and
administrative and support and waste management and remediation services industries.
No comment.
No comment.
Layoffs in the manufacturing, accommodation and food services, health care and social
assistance, and other services industries.

STATES WITH A DECREASE OF MORE THAN 1,000

State
MD
MI
IN
IL
LA

Change
-2,197
-2,169
-1,543
-1,408
-1,340

State Supplied Comment
No comment.
Fewer layoffs in the wholesale trade industry.
No comment.
No comment.
No comment.

12

 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 20-1873-NAT

Program Contacts:
Thomas Stengle: (202) 693-2991
Media Contact:
(202) 693-4676

13