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News Release
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 May 16 May 9 Change May 2 Prior Year1

Initial Claims (SA) 2,438,000 2,687,000 -249,000 3,176,000 213,000
Initial Claims (NSA) 2,174,329 2,356,594 -182,265 2,855,561 191,931
4-Wk Moving Average (SA) 3,042,000 3,543,000 -501,000 4,180,500 221,250

WEEK ENDING May 9 May 2 Change April 25 Prior Year1

Insured Unemployment (SA) 25,073,000 22,548,000 +2,525,000 22,377,000 1,683,000
Insured Unemployment (NSA) 22,942,103 20,879,551 +2,062,552 21,772,595 1,543,472
4-Wk Moving Average (SA) 22,002,250 19,688,750 +2,313,500 17,030,250 1,681,750
Insured Unemployment Rate (SA)2 17.2% 15.5% +1.7 15.4% 1.2%
Insured Unemployment Rate (NSA)2 15.7% 14.3% +1.4 14.9% 1.1%

INITIAL CLAIMS FILED IN FEDERAL PROGRAMS (UNADJUSTED)

WEEK ENDING May 16 May 9 Change May 2

Pandemic Unemployment Assistance 2,226,921 850,184 +1,376,737 1,002,606

WEEK ENDING May 9 May 2 Change Prior Year1

Federal Employees (UCFE) 1,723 2,033 -310 526
Newly Discharged Veterans (UCX) 1,076 1,252 -176 488

PERSONS CLAIMING UI BENEFITS IN ALL PROGRAMS (UNADJUSTED)

WEEK ENDING May 2 April 25 Change Prior Year1

Regular State 20,823,141 21,723,233 -900,092 1,536,651
Federal Employees 15,405 16,854 -1,449 7,544
Newly Discharged Veterans 10,930 11,758 -828 5,606
Pandemic Unemployment Assistance3 6,121,221 3,402,409 +2,718,812 NA
Pandemic Emergency UC4 162,727 79,538 +83,189 NA
Extended Benefits5 426 434 -8 0
State Additional Benefits6 5,803 6,527 -724 6,127
STC / Workshare 7 142,725 122,458 +20,267 8,660
TOTAL8 27,282,378 25,363,211 +1,919,167 1,564,588

FOOTNOTES
SA - Seasonally Adjusted Data, NSA - Not Seasonally Adjusted Data

1. Prior year is comparable to most recent data.

2. Most recent week used covered employment of 145,671,710 as denominator.
3. Information on the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program can be found in UIPL 16-20: PUA Program
information
4. Information on the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) program can be found in Unemployment
Insurance Program Letter (UIPL) 17-20: PEUC Program information
5. Information on the EB program can be found here: EB Program information
6. 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
7. Information on STC/Worksharing can be found starting on page 4-8 of the following link: Extensions and Special Programs
PDF
8. Totals include PUA Unemployment for the appropriate corresponding week.

4
 Advance State Claims - Not Seasonally Adjusted

Initial Claims Filed During Week Ended May 16 Insured Unemployment For Week Ended May 9
STATE Advance Prior Wk Change Advance Prior Wk Change
Alabama 24,528 26,666 -2,138 194,875 216,856 -21,981
Alaska 8,117 7,807 310 49,501 50,971 -1,470
Arizona 32,295 31,570 725 222,856 228,806 -5,950
Arkansas 10,662 13,152 -2,490 118,565 122,522 -3,957
California 246,115 212,667 33,448 3,586,825 2,850,204 736,621
Colorado 17,958 22,732 -4,774 246,735 261,951 -15,216
Connecticut 26,013 30,046 -4,033 300,033 319,529 -19,496
Delaware 5,437 5,197 240 58,434 50,205 8,229
District of Columbia 5,079 5,782 -703 67,244 65,298 1,946
Florida 223,927 223,082 845 2,131,478 1,035,207 1,096,271
Georgia 176,548 242,772 -66,224 786,170 812,913 -26,743
Hawaii 11,038 12,297 -1,259 146,352 110,757 35,595
Idaho 5,475 5,795 -320 58,770 65,478 -6,708
Illinois 72,816 72,671 145 733,466 755,912 -22,446
Indiana 30,311 29,668 643 278,192 285,460 -7,268
Iowa 13,040 15,820 -2,780 187,375 189,643 -2,268
Kansas 11,779 12,234 -455 113,294 117,977 -4,683
Kentucky 47,036 69,372 -22,336 246,320 253,250 -6,930
Louisiana 28,843 40,125 -11,282 321,710 325,136 -3,426
Maine 846 10,386 -9,540 90,503 87,280 3,223
Maryland 34,304 45,485 -11,181 247,803 254,473 -6,670
Massachusetts 38,328 44,915 -6,587 584,313 575,569 8,744
Michigan* 54,460 55,166 -706 950,775 973,278 -22,503
Minnesota 31,539 37,669 -6,130 442,309 429,187 13,122
Mississippi 23,697 23,618 79 188,743 208,270 -19,527
Missouri 26,029 31,145 -5,116 259,270 266,230 -6,960
Montana 3,384 3,762 -378 52,782 58,905 -6,123
Nebraska 5,923 6,362 -439 61,571 68,089 -6,518
Nevada 20,401 21,635 -1,234 364,933 324,444 40,489
New Hampshire 8,333 10,016 -1683 114,232 116,768 -2,536
New Jersey 41,323 69,689 -28,366 601,963 715,433 -113,470
New Mexico 7,948 8,024 -76 106,813 101,132 5,681
New York 226,521 199,419 27,102 1,882,786 1,846,154 36,632
North Carolina 45,974 57,354 -11,380 601,068 619,809 -18,741
North Dakota 3,031 2,753 278 36,717 35,921 796
Ohio 46,594 52,255 -5,661 687,618 745,886 -58,268
Oklahoma 23,880 39,079 -15,199 132,894 178,122 -45,228
Oregon 22,281 33,936 -11,655 477,688 309,543 168,145
Pennsylvania 64,078 73,688 -9,610 1,015,955 1,049,464 -33,509
Puerto Rico 10,763 15,067 -4,304 109,023 164,034 -55,011
Rhode Island 3,852 6,245 -2,393 90,056 94,083 -4,027
South Carolina 29,446 33,191 -3,745 254,670 268,701 -14,031
South Dakota 3,806 5,269 -1463 25,255 23,388 1,867
Tennessee 28,692 28,377 315 326,923 343,212 -16,289
Texas 134,381 141,553 -7,172 1,321,424 1,181,609 139,815
Utah 6,275 7,076 -801 86,212 91,591 -5,379
Vermont 2,098 2,913 -815 54,961 57,040 -2,079
Virgin Islands 31 70 -39 3,578 2,812 766
Virginia 45,788 52,139 -6,351 403,848 392,673 11,175
Washington 145,228 110,831 34,397 1,081,020 739,795 341,225
West Virginia 4,853 6,045 -1,192 108,395 107,405 990
Wisconsin 31,314 38,710 -7,396 308,890 313,248 -4,358
Wyoming 1,911 3,297 -1,386 18,917 17,928 989
US Total 2,174,329 2,356,594 -182,265 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)

Change Change
from from
Initial Prior 4-Week Insured Prior 4-Week
Week Ending Claims Week Average Unemployment Week Average IUR
May 11, 2019 217 -8 224.50 1,683 5 1,681.75 1.2
May 18, 2019 213 -4 221.25 1,675 -8 1,680.00 1.2
May 25, 2019 218 5 218.25 1,695 20 1,682.75 1.2
June 1, 2019 220 2 217.00 1,700 5 1,688.25 1.2
June 8, 2019 220 0 217.75 1,677 -23 1,686.75 1.2
June 15, 2019 219 -1 219.25 1,692 15 1,691.00 1.2
June 22, 2019 224 5 220.75 1,699 7 1,692.00 1.2
June 29, 2019 222 -2 221.25 1,717 18 1,696.25 1.2
July 6, 2019 211 -11 219.00 1,694 -23 1,700.50 1.2
July 13, 2019 217 6 218.50 1,682 -12 1,698.00 1.2
July 20, 2019 211 -6 215.25 1,699 17 1,698.00 1.2
July 27, 2019 216 5 213.75 1,692 -7 1,691.75 1.2
August 3, 2019 214 -2 214.50 1,719 27 1,698.00 1.2
August 10, 2019 218 4 214.75 1,687 -32 1,699.25 1.2
August 17, 2019 215 -3 215.75 1,699 12 1,699.25 1.2
August 24, 2019 215 0 215.50 1,683 -16 1,697.00 1.2
August 31, 2019 219 4 216.75 1,683 0 1,688.00 1.2
September 7, 2019 208 -11 214.25 1,675 -8 1,685.00 1.2
September 14, 2019 211 3 213.25 1,672 -3 1,678.25 1.2
September 21, 2019 215 4 213.25 1,667 -5 1,674.25 1.2
September 28, 2019 218 3 213.00 1,698 31 1,678.00 1.2
October 5, 2019 212 -6 214.00 1,689 -9 1,681.50 1.2
October 12, 2019 218 6 215.75 1,691 2 1,686.25 1.2
October 19, 2019 213 -5 215.25 1,700 9 1,694.50 1.2
October 26, 2019 217 4 215.00 1,695 -5 1,693.75 1.2
November 2, 2019 212 -5 215.00 1,702 7 1,697.00 1.2
November 9, 2019 222 10 216.00 1,697 -5 1,698.50 1.2
November 16, 2019 223 1 218.50 1,665 -32 1,689.75 1.2
November 23, 2019 211 -12 217.00 1,697 32 1,690.25 1.2
November 30, 2019 206 -5 215.50 1,700 3 1,689.75 1.2
December 7, 2019 237 31 219.25 1,725 25 1,696.75 1.2
December 14, 2019 229 -8 220.75 1,716 -9 1,709.50 1.2
December 21, 2019 218 -11 222.50 1,728 12 1,717.25 1.2
December 28, 2019 220 2 226.00 1,775 47 1,736.00 1.2
January 4, 2020 212 -8 219.75 1,759 -16 1,744.50 1.2
January 11, 2020 207 -5 214.25 1,735 -24 1,749.25 1.2
January 18, 2020 220 13 214.75 1,704 -31 1,743.25 1.2
January 25, 2020 212 -8 212.75 1,753 49 1,737.75 1.2
February 1, 2020 201 -11 210.00 1,678 -75 1,717.50 1.2
February 8, 2020 204 3 209.25 1,729 51 1,716.00 1.2
February 15, 2020 215 11 208.00 1,693 -36 1,713.25 1.2
February 22, 2020 220 5 210.00 1,720 27 1,705.00 1.2
February 29, 2020 217 -3 214.00 1,699 -21 1,710.25 1.2
March 7, 2020 211 -6 215.75 1,702 3 1,703.50 1.2
March 14, 2020 282 71 232.50 1,784 82 1,726.25 1.2
March 21, 2020 3,307 3,025 1,004.25 3,059 1,275 2,061.00 2.1
March 28, 2020 6,867 3,560 2,666.75 7,446 4,387 3,497.75 5.1
April 4, 2020 6,615 -252 4,267.75 11,914 4,468 6,050.75 8.2
April 11, 2020 5,237 -1,378 5,506.50 15,819 3,905 9,559.50 10.9
April 18, 2020 4,442 -795 5,790.25 18,011 2,192 13,297.50 12.4
April 25, 2020 3,867 -575 5,040.25 22,377 4,366 17,030.25 15.4
May 2, 2020 3,176 -691 4,180.50 22,548 171 19,688.75 15.5
May 9, 2020 2,687 -489 3,543.00 25,073 2,525 22,002.25 17.2
May 16, 2020 2,438 -249 3,042.00

6
 Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Claims - Not Seasonally Adjusted

PUA Initial Claims Filed During Week Ended May 16 PUA Continued Claims For Week Ended May 2
STATE Advance Prior Wk Change May 2 Apr 25 Change
Alabama 0 0 0 0 0 0
Alaska 0 0 0 0 0 0
Arizona 0 0 0 0 0 0
Arkansas 1,498 0 1,498 0 0 0
California 112,791 136,659 -23,868 1,755,752 528,585 1,227,167
Colorado 7,633 9,125 -1,492 92,584 92,190 394
Connecticut 7,450 11,750 -4,300 80,570 0 80,570
Delaware 0 0 0 0 0 0
District of Columbia 0 0 0 0 0 0
Florida 0 0 0 0 0 0
Georgia 0 0 0 0 0 0
Hawaii 0 0 0 0 0 0
Idaho 5,193 3,985 1,208 2,370 0 2,370
Illinois 74,515 0 74,515 0 0 0
Indiana 0 68,834 -68,834 60,354 0 60,354
Iowa 4,552 3,910 642 15,219 13,075 2,144
Kansas 0 0 0 0 0 0
Kentucky 0 0 0 0 4,700 -4,700
Louisiana 3,396 17,556 -14,160 142,979 86,524 56,455
Maine 7,043 11,488 -4,445 41,030 49,652 -8,622
Maryland 15,448 18,982 -3,534 129,069 111,998 17,071
Massachusetts 1,184,792 70,464 1,114,328 657,621 493,083 164,538
Michigan 164,689 138,051 26,638 1,221,309 1,006,060 215,249
Minnesota 3,036 7,680 -4,644 60,871 27,993 32,878
Mississippi 0 0 0 0 0 0
Missouri 7,787 7,082 705 109,019 62,350 46,669
Montana 2,466 2,163 303 24,161 57,607 -33,446
Nebraska 1,700 1784 -84 16,470 17,001 -531
Nevada 0 0 0 0 0 0
New Hampshire 7,666 0 7,666 0 0 0
New Jersey 34,000 51,241 -17,241 262,403 150,500 111,903
New Mexico 3,256 4,714 -1,458 46,117 56,070 -9,953
New York 177,684 53,042 124,642 90,280 20,985 69,295
North Carolina 42,002 52,351 -10,349 68,684 134,767 -66,083
North Dakota 638 526 112 14,302 6,808 7,494
Ohio 134,468 0 134,468 0 0 0
Oklahoma 3,016 7,162 -4,146 0 0 0
Oregon 0 0 0 0 0 0
Pennsylvania 60,750 51,591 9,159 671,703 0 671,703
Puerto Rico 0 0 0 0 0 0
Rhode Island 3,768 4,954 -1,186 41,348 26,554 14,794
South Carolina 19,706 0 19,706 0 0 0
South Dakota 901 693 208 1,416 123 1,293
Tennessee 3,615 5,741 -2,126 100,005 86,810 13,195
Texas 43,997 47,088 -3,091 127,634 127,634 0
Utah 2,600 0 2,600 0 0 0
Vermont 0 0 0 0 0 0
Virgin Islands 0 0 0 0 0 0
Virginia 13,906 0 13,906 0 0 0
Washington 61,471 48,665 12,806 284,555 241,340 43,215
West Virginia 0 0 0 0 0 0
Wisconsin 8,591 11,194 -2,603 0 0 0
Wyoming 897 1,709 -812 3,396 0 3,396
US Total 2,226,921 850,184 1,376,737 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

PEUC Claims Filed During Weeks Ended:

STATE May 2 April 25 Change April 18 April 11
Alabama 0 0 0 0 0
Alaska 0 0 0 0 0
Arizona 0 0 0 0 0
Arkansas 0 0 0 0 0
California 0 0 0 0 0
Colorado 0 0 0 0 0
Connecticut 0 0 0 0 0
Delaware 0 0 0 0 0
District of Columbia 0 0 0 0 0
Florida 0 0 0 0 0
Georgia 0 0 0 0 0
Hawaii 0 0 0 0 0
Idaho 782 193 589 0 0
Illinois 0 0 0 0 0
Indiana 4,528 0 4,528 0 0
Iowa 0 0 0 0 0
Kansas 0 0 0 0 0
Kentucky 0 0 0 0 0
Louisiana 17 11 6 7 6
Maine 12 15 -3 10 3
Maryland 3,473 2,361 1,112 0 0
Massachusetts 0 0 0 0 0
Michigan 26,986 8,457 18,529 0 0
Minnesota 11,934 10,619 1,315 8,363 2,378
Mississippi 0 0 0 0 0
Missouri 10,884 213 10,671 0 0
Montana 0 0 0 0 0
Nebraska 0 0 0 0 0
Nevada 0 0 0 0 0
New Hampshire 0 0 0 0 0
New Jersey 0 0 0 0 2
New Mexico 1,185 1,030 155 0 0
New York 48,190 43,414 4,776 33,362 18,010
North Carolina 0 0 0 0 0
North Dakota 0 0 0 0 0
Ohio 5,102 0 5,102 0 0
Oklahoma 0 0 0 0 0
Oregon 0 0 0 0 0
Pennsylvania 1,365 1,251 114 1,076 0
Puerto Rico 0 0 0 0 0
Rhode Island 503 0 503 0 0
South Carolina 0 0 0 0 0
South Dakota 0 0 0 0 0
Tennessee 41 60 -19 0 0
Texas 0 0 0 0 0
Utah 0 0 0 0 0
Vermont 0 0 0 0 0
Virgin Islands 0 0 0 0 0
Virginia 0 0 0 0 0
Washington 47,725 11,899 35,826 9,471 7,015
West Virginia 0 15 -15 16 2
Wisconsin 0 0 0 0 0
Wyoming 0 0 0 0 0
US Total 162,727 79,538 83,189 52,305 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 INSURED UNEMPLOYMENT FOR WEEK ENDED
MAY 9 MAY 2
ALL PROGRAMS
EXCLUDING
RAILROAD
CHANGE FROM CHANGE FROM RETIREMENT
LAST YEAR LAST
STATE NAME STATE WEEK AGO UCFE 1 UCX 1 STATE (%) 2 WEEK YEAR AGO UCFE 1 UCX 1
Alabama 26,666 -2,319 24,262 35 23 216,856 11.2 2,172 202,847 118 62 217,036
Alaska 7,807 -911 7,036 9 1 50,971 16.5 1,078 43,691 143 31 51,145
Arizona 31,570 -11,453 27,306 6 6 228,806 7.9 10,046 203,927 202 125 229,133
Arkansas 13,152 -296 11,470 3 1 122,522 10.2 3,190 113,174 109 52 122,683
California 212,667 -103,590 173,049 201 174 2,850,204 16.4 -1,958,157 2,519,441 2,595 1,813 2,854,612
Colorado 22,732 -5,628 20,967 13 31 261,951 9.8 33,268 243,857 213 202 262,366
Connecticut 30,046 -6,092 27,896 55 19 319,529 19.3 21,980 290,575 121 101 319,751
Delaware 5,197 -1,100 4,631 2 5 50,205 11.3 -2,296 46,373 9 18 50,232
District of Columbia 5,782 -2,331 5,386 39 3 65,298 11.3 6,664 58,992 739 12 66,049
Florida 223,082 48,222 216,680 45 21 1,035,207 12.1 590,646 1,001,510 293 425 1,035,925
Georgia 242,772 14,420 237,700 38 33 812,913 18.5 -72,851 789,170 469 326 813,708
Hawaii 12,297 -2,817 11,068 2 0 110,757 17.8 22,815 104,112 120 75 110,952
Idaho 5,795 -1,700 5,059 16 3 65,478 8.9 -6,316 60,335 71 35 65,584
Illinois 72,671 -1,805 63,835 10 15 755,912 12.8 59,941 669,381 485 198 756,595
Indiana 29,668 -12,622 27,619 21 14 285,460 9.4 14,212 271,958 59 92 285,611
Iowa 15,820 -7,421 13,616 25 4 189,643 12.4 10,033 174,326 144 57 189,844
Kansas 12,234 -3,725 10,688 3 3 117,977 8.6 -2,724 109,724 69 52 118,098
Kentucky 69,372 -13,063 67,663 2 5 253,250 13.4 -3,067 237,908 106 167 253,523
Louisiana 40,125 -10,816 38,097 44 25 325,136 17.2 15,123 311,727 105 42 325,283
Maine 10,386 -5,727 9,922 1 1 87,280 14.5 10,507 81,897 49 13 87,342
Maryland 45,485 -17,768 42,982 8 31 254,473 10.0 27,501 231,276 214 178 254,865
Massachusetts 44,915 -10,969 40,848 71 16 575,569 16.1 5,613 523,798 245 219 576,033
Michigan 55,166 -12,233 50,150 31 21 973,278 22.6 -23,096 930,816 226 221 973,725
Minnesota 37,669 -3,823 34,961 25 16 429,187 15.0 8,975 395,422 188 125 429,500
Mississippi 23,618 -2,127 22,270 7 4 208,270 18.8 46,192 200,875 148 44 208,462
Missouri 31,145 -21,382 28,161 6 4 266,230 9.5 19,567 249,071 131 64 266,425
Montana 3,762 -834 3,167 12 3 58,905 12.9 -4,229 53,296 216 42 59,163
Nebraska 6,362 -56 5,674 7 1 68,089 7.1 -793 64,984 18 9 68,116
Nevada 21,635 -6,915 19,544 5 4 324,444 23.5 20,871 307,127 150 99 324,693
New Hampshire 10,016 -2,459 9,609 14 1 116,768 18.0 1,188 113,481 46 17 116,831
New Jersey 69,689 -18,637 62,017 21 20 715,433 17.8 72,782 636,708 409 406 716,248
New Mexico 8,024 -5,651 7,411 4 0 101,132 12.6 4,975 92,392 117 65 101,314
New York 199,419 4,309 186,868 74 30 1,846,154 19.6 96,583 1,730,029 581 504 1,847,239
North Carolina 57,354 -28,602 54,143 69 62 619,809 14.1 28,764 601,408 491 531 620,831
North Dakota 2,753 -1,291 2,231 6 3 35,921 8.7 94 33,704 28 20 35,969
Ohio 52,255 -9,232 46,482 12 32 745,886 14.0 -13,549 702,394 197 452 746,535
Oklahoma 39,079 -54,806 37,350 26 17 178,122 11.4 23,451 164,562 71 98 178,291
Oregon 33,936 -14,184 30,603 56 11 309,543 16.2 554 284,182 523 99 310,165
Pennsylvania 73,688 -20,757 62,751 321 95 1,049,464 18.0 -183,835 960,338 2,704 751 1,052,919
Puerto Rico 15,067 -6,819 13,931 3 5 164,034 19.2 18,894 150,216 241 76 164,351
Rhode Island 6,245 -2,843 5,514 9 2 94,083 19.9 -3,490 87,138 97 58 94,238
South Carolina 33,191 -14,482 31,238 39 27 268,701 12.9 8,292 255,978 70 111 268,882
South Dakota 5,269 1,340 5,082 16 1 23,388 5.6 -403 22,205 81 19 23,488
Tennessee 28,377 -7,946 25,956 37 29 343,212 10.5 2,963 328,658 137 125 343,474
Texas 141,553 -102,382 128,594 188 207 1,181,609 9.6 48,285 1,073,507 636 1,340 1,183,585
Utah 7,076 -1,916 6,153 6 6 91,591 6.2 -1,281 84,507 114 43 91,748
Vermont 2,913 -962 2,479 0 0 57,040 18.8 -3,495 53,751 8 6 57,054
Virgin Islands 70 25 35 0 0 2,812 7.9 930 2,412 4 0 2,816
Virginia 52,139 -7,492 49,658 16 19 392,673 10.5 15,984 374,869 411 416 393,500
Washington 110,831 8,615 105,708 22 13 739,795 22.1 135,747 693,577 440 765 741,000
West Virginia 6,045 -7,182 5,298 2 2 107,405 16.1 -2,972 98,485 74 53 107,532
Wisconsin 38,710 825 34,480 37 7 313,248 11.0 -777 288,410 132 70 313,450
Wyoming 3,297 443 3,032 3 0 17,928 6.6 407 15,964 38 6 17,972
Totals 2,356,594 -498,967 2,168,330 1,723 1,076 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.

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UNADJUSTED INITIAL CLAIMS FOR WEEK ENDED MAY 9, 2020

STATES WITH AN INCREASE OF MORE THAN 1,000

State Change State Supplied Comment

FL +48,222 Layoffs in the agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting, manufacturing, wholesale trade, retail
trade, and service industries. Increase in initial claims due to COVID-19.
GA +14,420 Layoffs in the health care and social assistance and retail trade industries.
WA +8,615 Layoffs in the utilities, information, finance and insurance, educational services, and public
administration industries.
NY +4,309 Layoffs in the transportation and warehousing, educational services, and public administration
industries.
SD +1,340 No comment.

STATES WITH A DECREASE OF MORE THAN 1,000

State Change State Supplied Comment

CA -103,590 No comment.
TX -102,382 No comment.
OK -54,806 No comment.
NC -28,602 Fewer layoffs in the accommodation and food services, administrative, support, waste
management, and remediation services, and health care and social assistance industries.
MO -21,382 Fewer layoffs in the accommodation and food services and retail trade industries.
PA -20,757 Fewer layoffs in the construction, accommodation and food services, other services, and health
care and social assistance industries.
NJ -18,637 No comment.
MD -17,768 No comment.
SC -14,482 No comment.
OR -14,184 No comment.
KY -13,063 No comment.
IN -12,622 No comment.
MI -12,233 Fewer layoffs in the manufacturing and health care and social assistance industries.
AZ -11,453 No comment.
MA -10,969 No comment.
LA -10,816 No comment.
OH -9,232 No comment.
TN -7,946 No comment.
VA -7,492 No comment.
IA -7,421 No comment.
WV -7,182 No comment.
NV -6,915 No comment.
PR -6,819 No comment.
CT -6,092 No comment.
ME -5,727 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.
NM -5,651 No comment.
CO -5,628 No comment.
MN -3,823 No comment.
KS -3,725 No comment.
RI -2,843 No comment.
HI -2,817 No comment.
NH -2,459 No comment.
DC -2,331 No comment.
AL -2,319 Fewer layoffs in the manufacturing, health care and social assistance, and retail trade industries.
MS -2,127 No comment.
UT -1,916 No comment.
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IL -1,805 No comment.
ID -1,700 No comment.
ND -1,291 No comment.
DE -1,100 No comment.

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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

Program Contacts:
Employment and Training Administration
Kevin Stapleton: (202) 693-3009
Washington, D.C. 20210
Media Contact: (202) 693-4676
Release Number: USDL 20-1058-NAT

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