News Release

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TRANSMISSION OF MATERIALS IN THIS RELEASE IS EMBARGOED UNTIL
8:30 A.M. (Eastern) Thursday, October 8, 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 October 3, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 840,000, a decrease of 9,000
from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 12,000 from 837,000 to 849,000.
The 4-week moving average was 857,000, a decrease of 13,250 from the previous week's revised average. The previous
week's average was revised up by 3,000 from 867,250 to 870,250.
The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 7.5 percent for the week ending September 26, a
decrease of 0.7 percentage point from the previous week's revised rate. The previous week's rate was revised up by 0.1
from 8.1 to 8.2 percent. The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending
September 26 was 10,976,000, a decrease of 1,003,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level
was revised up 212,000 from 11,767,000 to 11,979,000. The 4-week moving average was 12,112,250, a decrease of
642,000 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 53,000 from
12,701,250 to 12,754,250.

1

 Millions

30.0

25.0

20.0

15.0

10.0

5.0

0.0

Seasonally Adjusted Insured Unemployment
September 28, 2019 - September 26, 2020

 

 

—vaing Average

— -Weekly IU

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

UNADJUSTED DATA
The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 804,307 in the week ending
October 3, an increase of 5,312 (or 0.7 percent) from the previous week. The seasonal factors had expected an increase of
14,319 (or 1.8 percent) from the previous week. There were 188,106 initial claims in the comparable week in 2019. In
addition, for the week ending October 3, 53 states reported 464,437 initial claims for Pandemic Unemployment
Assistance.
The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 7.3 percent during the week ending September 26, a decrease of
0.7 percentage point from the prior week. The advance unadjusted number for persons claiming UI benefits in state
programs totaled 10,612,021, a decrease of 1,010,280 (or -8.7 percent) from the preceding week. The seasonal factors
had expected a decrease of 7,090 (or -0.1 percent) from the previous week. A year earlier the rate was 1.0 percent and the
volume was 1,392,109.

The total number of people claiming benefits in all programs for the week ending September 19 was 25,505,499, a
decrease of 1,003,179 from the previous week. There were 1,407,308 persons claiming benefits in all programs in the
comparable week in 2019.
During the week ending September 19, Extended Benefits were available in the following 46 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, 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 1,097 in the week ending September 26,
an increase of 8 from the prior week. There were 1,001 initial claims filed by newly discharged veterans, an increase of
172 from the preceding week.
There were 12,136 former Federal civilian employees claiming UI benefits for the week ending September 19, a decrease
of 1,171 from the previous week. Newly discharged veterans claiming benefits totaled 13,758, a decrease of 654 from the
prior week.
During the week ending Sep 19, 50 states reported 11,394,832 individuals claiming Pandemic Unemployment Assistance
benefits and 49 states reported 1,959,953 individuals claiming Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation
benefits.
The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending September 19 were in Hawaii (20.1), California (16.1),
Nevada (13.7), Puerto Rico (12.2), the Virgin Islands (12.1), Louisiana (11.4), New York (11.1), Georgia (10.9), District
of Columbia (10.4), and Michigan (10.2).
The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending September 26 were in Maryland (+3,619), Illinois (+3,414),
New Jersey (+2,504), Michigan (+2,358), and Massachusetts (+1,886), while the largest decreases were in Texas
(-7,075), Florida (-6,655), Georgia (-5,895), New York (-5,112), and Oregon (-2,317).

4

 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

October 3 September 26
840,000
849,000
804,307
798,995
857,000
870,250

Change September 19
-9,000
873,000
+5,312
827,212
-13,250
879,000

Prior Year1
212,000
188,106
214,000

September 26 September 19
10,976,000
11,979,000
10,612,021
11,622,301
12,112,250
12,754,250
7.5%
8.2%
7.3%
8.0%

Change September 12
-1,003,000
12,747,000
-1,010,280
12,431,032
-642,000
13,082,500
-0.7
8.7%
-0.7
8.5%

Prior Year1
1,698,000
1,392,109
1,678,000
1.2%
1.0%

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

October 3

September 26

Change

September 19

464,437

508,707

-44,270

615,599

September 26
1,097
1,001

September 19
1,089
829

Change
+8
+172

Prior Year1
560
523

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 19
11,561,062
12,136
13,758
11,394,832
1,959,953
352,479
2,501
208,778
25,505,499

September 12
12,363,489
13,307
14,412
11,828,338
1,806,241
268,350
2,343
212,198
26,508,678

Change
-802,427
-1,171
-654
-433,506
+153,712
+84,129
+158
-3,420
-1,003,179

Prior Year1
1,380,667
6,404
5,742
NA
NA
0
5,462
9,033
1,407,308

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 October 3
Advance
Prior Wk
Change
7,316
8,805
-1,489
4,042
3,600
442
9,798
8,208
1,590
5,039
6,137
-1,098
226,179
226,179
0
5,976
4,862
1,114
4,595
5,015
-420
1,658
1,815
-157
1,489
1,889
-400
40,200
32,373
7,827
43,874
43,526
348
5,400
5,681
-281
2,804
2,995
-191
36,036
29,390
6,646
11,199
10,209
990
4,730
4,616
114
14,793
17,531
-2,738
5,466
7,520
-2,054
12,973
16,296
-3,323
1,665
1,584
81
10,195
9,280
915
28,724
25,460
3,264
15,915
19,760
-3,845
9,710
9,339
371
3,716
4,653
-937
8,253
7,353
900
3,308
3,253
55
3,207
3,001
206
10,088
7,525
2,563
1,518
2,193
-675
22,715
27,184
-4,469
3,536
3,279
257
66,528
64,678
1,850
14,882
12,627
2,255
889
856
33
17,819
18,002
-183
5,001
5,258
-257
3,943
5,738
-1,795
19,321
22,955
-3,634
1,187
763
424
2,717
3,098
-381
5,102
4,905
197
404
267
137
9,839
10,311
-472
41,656
41,351
305
2,605
2,460
145
565
601
-36
20
346
-326
12,643
9,377
3,266
18,545
21,002
-2,457
1,780
1,903
-123
12,039
11,185
854
705
801
-96
804,307
798,995
5,312

Insured Unemployment For Week Ended September 26
Advance
Prior Wk
Change
24,873
34,997
-10,124
20,734
22,532
-1,798
165,377
175,838
-10,461
31,056
37,975
-6,919
0
2,802,145
2,802,145
130,135
143,856
-13,721
137,116
161,782
-24,666
25,845
26,824
-979
51,393
60,168
-8,775
273,985
373,194
-99,209
445,380
478,732
-33,352
112,517
124,499
-11,982
8,013
9,895
-1,882
457,547
502,314
-44,767
132,604
150,463
-17,859
51,666
58,419
-6,753
57,006
52,779
4,227
94,121
101,233
-7,112
179,449
214,860
-35,411
21,729
24,701
-2,972
142,470
169,032
-26,562
288,388
327,621
-39,233
369,864
440,645
-70,781
157,669
174,779
-17,110
62,704
75,175
-12,471
58,445
71,313
-12,868
18,537
20,195
-1,658
16,854
19,895
-3,041
162,322
190,613
-28,291
32,243
35,128
-2,885
279,472
322,414
-42,942
70,147
77,556
-7,409
955,451
1,046,997
-91,546
118,267
134,154
-15,887
12,130
11,388
742
224,597
303,935
-79,338
78,430
97,912
-19,482
145,398
152,643
-7,245
450,068
482,699
-32,631
89,783
105,030
-15,247
26,474
31,964
-5,490
71,128
85,052
-13,924
4,975
6,167
-1,192
131,371
151,690
-20,319
802,730
902,269
-99,539
23,531
25,803
-2,272
18,362
20,616
-2,254
3,194
4,440
-1,246
158,024
173,717
-15,693
259,158
236,928
22,230
38,130
40,892
-2,762
111,838
119,104
-7,266
7,176
7,329
-153
10,612,021
11,622,301
-1,010,280

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 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
October 3, 2020

Initial
Claims
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
849
840

Change
from
Prior
Week
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
-24
-9

Change
from
Insured
Prior
Unemployment Week
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
11,979
-768
10,976
-1,003

4-Week
Average
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
870.25
857.00

7

4-Week
Average
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
12,754.25
12,112.25

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
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
8.2
7.5

 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 October 3
Advance
Prior Wk
Change
1,063
1,361
-298
285
272
13
74,519
93,880
-19,361
3,602
4,670
-1,068
99,824
99,824
0
2,309
2,413
-104
714
766
-52
127
127
0
145
186
-41
31,578
20,520
11,058
4,135
5,458
-1,323
3,459
4,402
-943
40
38
2
6,762
5,360
1,402
12,797
11,675
1,122
750
857
-107
9,082
10,159
-1,077
3,298
2,262
1,036
8,440
12,700
-4,260
669
1,154
-485
6,045
3,752
2,293
10,991
10,925
66
15,117
14,655
462
3
285
-282
1,848
2,128
-280
593
702
-109
1,409
1,660
-251
1,857
1,774
83
9,439
11,198
-1,759
357
380
-23
10,904
19,373
-8,469
1,240
1,292
-52
30,489
33,142
-2,653
9,087
11,024
-1,937
951
887
64
22,227
18,461
3,766
780
780
0
5,473
4,701
772
24,660
46,789
-22,129
12,005
11,809
196
6,206
6,820
-614
3,924
3,822
102
32
49
-17
4,334
7,152
-2,818
6,407
6,822
-415
737
676
61
43
52
-9
71
76
-5
3,333
3,106
227
3,813
4,088
-275
3,968
0
3,968
2,379
2,131
248
117
112
5
464,437
508,707
-44,270

PUA Continued Claims For Week Ended Sep 19
Sep 19
Sep 12
Change
38,734
36,793
1,941
10,124
10,397
-273
432,949
415,732
17,217
69,557
67,705
1,852
3,493,940
3,493,940
0
64,680
64,066
614
50,759
53,597
-2,838
8,031
7,705
326
15,676
14,649
1,027
0
0
0
234,798
270,771
-35,973
125,022
104,010
21,012
11,069
11,417
-348
120,061
118,875
1,186
202,155
261,488
-59,333
12,759
12,960
-201
188,918
255,416
-66,498
27,807
51,478
-23,671
135,636
134,309
1,327
17,878
17,721
157
173,031
247,123
-74,092
446,245
472,752
-26,507
767,321
779,433
-12,112
45,331
47,752
-2,421
30,469
32,735
-2,266
58,356
58,978
-622
39,459
47,244
-7,785
32,383
31,360
1,023
95,829
95,681
148
15,875
16,416
-541
398,080
399,889
-1,809
39,223
40,434
-1,211
1,365,856
1,482,560
-116,704
179,921
172,114
7,807
5,690
6,078
-388
408,420
396,985
11,435
14,243
13,978
265
110,927
118,349
-7,422
799,173
834,218
-35,045
194,614
182,280
12,334
48,462
50,468
-2,006
62,610
62,824
-214
2,372
2,360
12
153,984
153,889
95
278,711
290,944
-12,233
5,603
6,165
-562
9,104
9,327
-223
0
0
0
194,077
205,981
-11,904
113,184
114,600
-1,416
0
0
0
43,479
50,097
-6,618
2,247
2,295
-48
11,394,832
11,828,338
-433,506

Note: Information on the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program can be found in UIPL 16-20:
PUA Program information . Backdated claims may be included in these figures.
*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 19
16,110
7,482
21,410
21,390
471,016
27,338
19,031
4,271
4,927
0
0
0
6,635
37,650
12,724
23,983
12,293
0
4,075
10,721
18,793
77,400
62,134
41,622
13,437
49,329
4,300
2,736
37,346
1,599
74,743
9,773
232,083
192,153
4,686
32,847
16,913
19,823
62,687
7,110
11,305
64,775
474
57,675
31,939
8,639
3,339
116
73,727
7,438
6,169
29,498
2,289
1,959,953

PEUC Claims Filed During Weeks Ended:
September 12
Change
76,596
6,832
20,204
21,969
446,281
31,083
12,811
2,685
2,126
0
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
1,806,241

-60,486
650
1,206
-579
24,735
-3,745
6,220
1,586
2,801
0
0
0
-327
3,727
4,133
1,166
1,303
0
1,204
2,072
6,031
21,636
-2,313
4,889
1,206
7,619
-406
171
5,964
767
14,622
2,831
70,840
-22,162
53
11,846
3,260
710
11,988
1,649
3,346
4,693
-39
5,342
1,109
34
991
13
8,153
-861
1,116
2,754
194
153,712

September 5

August 29

77,955
5,890
19,164
20,826
400,546
21,097
11,549
2,329
2,093
0
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
1,607,025

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

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 19
0
1,133
1,530
0
105,869
47
5,941
116
5
525
0
9
33
21,950
3,201
3,115
999
132
1,757
933
4,448
13,220
1
6,511
1,899
4,308
621
226
4,146
444
26,886
1,811
37,732
36,761
363
9,815
0
4,123
23,693
513
1,588
5,685
0
2,239
0
1,038
625
0
4,994
10,957
32
27
478
352,479

EB Claims Filed During Weeks Ended:
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
860
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
268,350

Change
0
-21
488
-1,380
46,715
-13
242
-4
3
50
0
-1
7
2,416
121
51
8
-728
201
32
487
1,046
0
365
137
33
-7
-5
379
27
1,856
124
1,458
19,385
31
455
0
329
5,414
21
176
472
0
134
0
132
103
0
2,457
772
10
10
141
84,129

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

10

 INITIAL CLAIMS FILED DURING WEEK ENDED
SEPTEMBER 26
CHANGE FROM
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
8,805
3,600
8,208
6,137
226,179
4,862
5,015
1,815
1,889
32,373
43,526
5,681
2,995
29,390
10,209
4,616
17,531
7,520
16,296
1,584
9,280
25,460
19,760
9,339
4,653
7,353
3,253
3,001
7,525
2,193
27,184
3,279
64,678
12,627
856
18,002
5,258
5,738
22,955
763
3,098
4,905
267
10,311
41,351
2,460
601
346
9,377
21,002
1,903
11,185
801
798,995

LAST YEAR
WEEK AGO UCFE 1 UCX 1
126
6,926
20
9
-31
2,734
15
3
-857
4,451
5
10
359
4,791
2
3
0
192,953 229
144
-253
3,433
15
19
-126
2,985
18
1
40
1,324
3
6
340
1,492
21
0
-6,655 26,985
15
6
-5,895 38,992
71
53
-1,076
4,648
10
11
-442
2,341
5
1
3,414 22,597
8
12
-1,493
7,890
11
7
-1,501
2,371
2
4
57
16,325
4
3
-893
5,147
3
6
1,454 14,684
16
16
153
1,217
0
1
3,619
6,715
32
20
1,886 21,788
30
12
2,358 12,354
15
14
-1,562
6,899
6
6
-527
3,703
0
4
-800
4,150
4
4
32
2,521
13
1
-131
2,637
3
1
-673
5,726
1
1
75
1,820
3
1
2,504 20,485
29
31
-358
2,580
12
5
-5,112 53,785
11
29
-779
9,485
29
48
64
659
2
2
384
10,954
12
16
-176
3,635
12
3
-2,317
2,452
13
9
193
12,929
135
33
-386
-57
0
1
268
2,568
0
0
-1
2,935
9
15
-284
120
1
1
-1,482
7,387
18
17
-7,075 28,660
174
371
-85
1,533
16
3
-43
352
0
0
37
325
0
0
-1,205
7,248
9
5
-2,103 15,696
19
24
-321
1,002
2
1
-993
8,192
13
7
55
503
1
1
-28,217 626,027 1,097 1,001

INSURED UNEMPLOYMENT FOR WEEK ENDED
SEPTEMBER 19
ALL PROGRAMS
CHANGE FROM
EXCLUDING
LAST
YEAR
RAILROAD
STATE (%) 2 WEEK
AGO UCFE 1 UCX 1 RETIREMENT
34,997
1.8 -2,434
20,310
105
43
35,145
22,532
7.3 -1,557
17,802
107
54
22,693
175,838 6.1 -14,669 152,227
203
247
176,288
37,975
3.2 -2,881
28,194
68
37
38,080
2,802,145 16.1
0
2,524,264 2,012 3,198
2,807,355
143,856 5.4 -7,394
128,573
183
349
144,388
161,782 9.8 -14,120 136,125
237
209
162,228
26,824
6.0 -2,159
23,110
24
23
26,871
60,168 10.4 -4,735
53,809
764
7
60,939
373,194 4.3
-987
333,719
258
203
373,655
478,732 10.9 -58,154 454,777
626
533
479,891
124,499 20.1 -8,105
118,606
273
181
124,953
9,895
1.3
-813
6,519
10
13
9,918
502,314 8.5 -34,504 427,437
533
236
503,083
150,463 4.9 -10,680 137,512
110
149
150,722
58,419
3.8 -4,519
46,368
81
50
58,550
52,779
3.9
-180
45,136
84
58
52,921
101,233 5.3 -11,907
85,728
96
190
101,519
214,860 11.4 -23,864 200,806
179
64
215,103
24,701
4.1 -3,370
21,791
26
30
24,757
169,032 6.6 7,611
146,206
227
138
169,397
327,621 9.2 -33,874 282,973
288
157
328,066
440,645 10.2 -1,171
408,048
106
170
440,921
174,779 6.1 -17,438 152,945
149
142
175,070
75,175
6.8 -9,078
68,079
106
42
75,323
71,313
2.6 -6,412
54,809
97
52
71,462
20,195
4.4 -2,185
16,796
53
33
20,281
19,895
2.1 -1,693
17,658
29
12
19,936
190,613 13.7 -12,795 174,741
106
138
190,857
35,128
5.3 -2,113
32,463
9
11
35,148
322,414 8.0 -31,176 250,361
298
402
323,114
77,556
9.6 -4,830
70,101
303
81
77,940
1,046,997 11.1 -247,497 943,601
293
508
1,047,798
134,154 3.0 -10,924 115,761
299
455
134,908
11,388
2.8
-732
10,099
22
13
11,423
303,935 5.7 -19,637 267,540
169
352
304,456
97,912
6.2 -6,996
83,526
92
124
98,128
152,643 7.9 -2,305
130,194
234
170
153,047
482,699 8.3 -58,581 397,644 1,019 462
484,180
105,030 12.2 -5,460
88,597
138
37
105,205
31,964
6.7 -6,810
26,551
35
24
32,023
85,052
4.1 -9,252
71,933
43
115
85,210
6,167
1.5
-783
5,363
31
3
6,201
151,690 4.6 -16,088 134,920
101
142
151,933
902,269 7.3 -50,899 790,345
921 2,742
905,932
25,803
1.7 -2,559
19,890
49
32
25,884
20,616
6.8 -1,925
18,796
2
1
20,619
4,440
12.1
82
3,966
10
20
4,470
173,717 4.6 -14,478 156,577
382
488
174,587
236,928 7.0 -17,074 196,187
344
683
237,955
40,892
6.2 -4,537
32,907
57
47
40,996
119,104 4.2 -9,559
100,613
135
86
119,325
7,329
2.7
-531
5,952
10
2
7,341
11,622,301 7.9 -808,731 10,238,955 12,136 13,758
11,648,195

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 26, 2020
STATES WITH AN INCREASE OF MORE THAN 1,000
State
MD
IL

Change
+3,619
+3,414

NJ
MI
MA
LA

+2,504
+2,358
+1,886
+1,454

State Supplied Comment
No comment.
Layoffs in the other services, wholesale trade, retail trade, and health care and social assistance
industries.
No comment.
No comment.
No comment.
No comment

STATES WITH A DECREASE OF MORE THAN 1,000
State
TX
FL

Change
-7,075
-6,655

GA

-5,895

NY

-5,112

OR
WA
MN
IA
IN
TN
VA
HI

-2,317
-2,103
-1,562
-1,501
-1,493
-1,482
-1,205
-1,076

State Supplied Comment
No comment.
Fewer layoffs in the agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, construction, manufacturing,
wholesale trade, retail trade, and service industries.
Fewer layoffs in the accommodation and food services, retail trade and manufacturing
industries.
Fewer layoffs in the construction, health care and social assistance, and transportation and
warehousing industries.
No comment.
No comment.
No comment.
Fewer layoffs in the manufacturing and construction industries.
No comment.
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 20-1900-NAT

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

13