During the week ending May 20, 2023, unemployment insurance claims in U.S. states totaled 202,044 claims, an increase from the previous week when there were 200,738 claims. During the week, California was the most affected state, with 45,667 initial unemployment insurance claims.

In July 2024, 3.16 billion U.S. dollars were paid out in unemployment benefits in the United States. This is an increase from June 2024, when 2.62 billion U.S. dollars were paid in unemployment benefits. The large figures seen in 2020 are largely due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Welfare in the U.S. Unemployment benefits first started in 1935 during the Great Depression as a part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal. The Social Security Act of 1935 ensured that Americans would not fall deeper into poverty. The United States was the only developed nation in the world at the time that did not offer any welfare benefits. This program created unemployment benefits, Medicare and Medicaid, and maternal and child welfare. The only major welfare program that the United States currently lacks is a paid maternity leave policy. Currently, the United States only offers 12 unpaid weeks of leave, under certain circumstances. However, the number of people without health insurance in the United States has greatly decreased since 2010. Unemployment benefits Current unemployment benefits in the United States vary from state to state due to unemployment being funded by both the state and the federal government. The average duration of people collecting unemployment benefits in the United States has fluctuated since January 2020, from as little as 4.55 weeks to as many as 50.32 weeks. The unemployment rate varies by ethnicity, gender, and education levels. For example, those aged 16 to 24 have faced the highest unemployment rates since 1990 during the pandemic. In February 2023, the Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV metropolitan area had the highest unemployment rate in the United States.

Unemployment Rate in the United States decreased to 4.10 percent in June from 4.20 percent in May of 2025. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - United States Unemployment Rate - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Initial Jobless Claims in the United States decreased to 227 thousand in the week ending July 5 of 2025 from 232 thousand in the previous week. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - United States Initial Jobless Claims - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Continued Claims for UI released by the CT Department of Labor. Continued Claims are total number of individuals being paid benefits in any particular week. Claims data can be access directly from CT DOL here: https://www1.ctdol.state.ct.us/lmi/claimsdata.asp

Claims are disaggregated by age, education, industry, race/national origin, sex, and wages.

The claim counts in this dataset may not match claim counts from other sources.

Unemployment claims tabulated in this dataset represent only one component of the unemployed. Claims do not account for those not covered under the Unemployment system (e.g. federal workers, railroad workers or religious workers) or the unemployed self-employed.

Claims filed for a particular week will change as time goes on and the backlog is addressed.

For data on continued claims at the town level, see the dataset "Continued Claims for Unemployment Benefits by Town" here: https://data.ct.gov/Government/Continued-Claims-for-Unemployment-Benefits-by-Town/r83t-9bjm

For data on initial claims see the following two datasets:

"Initial Claims for Unemployment Benefits in Connecticut," https://data.ct.gov/Government/Initial-Claims-for-Unemployment-Benefits/j3yj-ek9y

"Initial Claims for Unemployment Benefits by Town," https://data.ct.gov/Government/Initial-Claims-for-Unemployment-Benefits-by-Town/twvc-s7wy

Continued Claims for UI released by the CT Department of Labor. Continued Claims are total number of individuals being paid benefits in any particular week. Claims data can be access directly from CT DOL here: https://www1.ctdol.state.ct.us/lmi/claimsdata.asp

Claims are disaggregated by age, education, industry, race/national origin, sex, and wages.

The claim counts in this dataset may not match claim counts from other sources.

Unemployment claims tabulated in this dataset represent only one component of the unemployed. Claims do not account for those not covered under the Unemployment system (e.g. federal workers, railroad workers or religious workers) or the unemployed self-employed.

Claims filed for a particular week will change as time goes on and the backlog is addressed.

For data on continued claims at the town level, see the dataset "Continued Claims for Unemployment Benefits by Town" here: https://data.ct.gov/Government/Continued-Claims-for-Unemployment-Benefits-by-Town/r83t-9bjm

For data on initial claims see the following two datasets:

"Initial Claims for Unemployment Benefits in Connecticut," https://data.ct.gov/Government/Initial-Claims-for-Unemployment-Benefits/j3yj-ek9y

"Initial Claims for Unemployment Benefits by Town," https://data.ct.gov/Government/Initial-Claims-for-Unemployment-Benefits-by-Town/twvc-s7wy

United States Unemployment Insurance: Unemployment Rate: Colorado data was reported at 7.410 % in 01 Aug 2020. This records a decrease from the previous number of 8.360 % for 25 Jul 2020. United States Unemployment Insurance: Unemployment Rate: Colorado data is updated weekly, averaging 1.400 % from Dec 1986 (Median) to 01 Aug 2020, with 1754 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 9.960 % in 16 May 2020 and a record low of 0.530 % in 30 Sep 2000. United States Unemployment Insurance: Unemployment Rate: Colorado data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by US Department of Labor. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.G072: Unemployment Insurance: Jobless Claims: by State.

In 2024, six percent of the Black or African-American population in the United States were unemployed, the highest unemployment rate of any ethnicity. In 2024, the national unemployment rate stood at four percent.

Graph and download economic data for Initial Claims (ICSA) from 1967-01-07 to 2025-07-05 about initial claims, headline figure, and USA.

State Unemployment Benefits in Washington was 1673231.00000 Mil. of $ in October of 2024, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, State Unemployment Benefits in Washington reached a record high of 24460432.00000 in April of 2020 and a record low of 13136.00000 in April of 1951. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for State Unemployment Benefits in Washington - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on June of 2025.

Graph and download economic data for Income Before Taxes: Unemployment and Workers' Compensation, Veterans' Benefits, and Regular Contributions by Highest Education: College Graduate: Bachelor's Degree (CXUOTHREGINLB1408M) from 2013 to 2023 about veterans, contributions, compensation, benefits, tertiary schooling, workers, tax, education, income, unemployment, and USA.

State Unemployment Benefits in Maine was 123447.00000 Mil. of $ in October of 2024, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, State Unemployment Benefits in Maine reached a record high of 3420428.00000 in April of 2020 and a record low of 4760.00000 in October of 1952. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for State Unemployment Benefits in Maine - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on July of 2025.

Graph and download economic data for Continued Claims (Insured Unemployment) (CCSA) from 1967-01-07 to 2025-06-28 about continued claims, insurance, headline figure, unemployment, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Income Before Taxes: Unemployment and Workers' Compensation, Veterans Benefits by Quintiles of Income Before Taxes: Highest 20 Percent (81st to 100th Percentile) (CXUOTHBNFTSLB0106M) from 1984 to 2012 about veterans, compensation, percentile, benefits, workers, tax, income, unemployment, and USA.

Unemployment Insurance: Continued Claims: Georgia data was reported at 561.503 Person th in 08 Aug 2020. This records a decrease from the previous number of 572.455 Person th for 01 Aug 2020. Unemployment Insurance: Continued Claims: Georgia data is updated weekly, averaging 47.030 Person th from Dec 1986 (Median) to 08 Aug 2020, with 1755 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 885.764 Person th in 25 Apr 2020 and a record low of 21.522 Person th in 23 Nov 2019. Unemployment Insurance: Continued Claims: Georgia data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by US Department of Labor. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.G072: Unemployment Insurance: Jobless Claims: by State.

The U.S. Department of Labor has been working collaboratively with our state partners to identify several robust strategies that focus on the prevention of overpayments and will yield the highest impact in reducing UI improper payment rates.

Improper Unemployment Insurance benefit payments are most likely to occur when:

Recipients continue to claim benefits after returning to work; Employers or their third party administrators do not submit timely or accurate separation information; and Claimants fail to register with the state's Employment Service (ES) as dictated by state law. Earlier this year, the Department actively intervened to encourage the ten states with the highest Employment Service registration error rates to focus on the issue. Senior DOL officials personally contacted these states to determine specific steps the states would take to address their error rates, and the Department provided targeted technical assistance.

As a result, dramatic progress is being made in this area, with a 23% reduction in improper payments to people who did not register with employment services agencies, including a more than 35% drop in eight states.

In 2023, the unemployment rate of persons with a disability was at 7.2 percent in the United States. This was a decrease from the previous year, when the unemployment rate was at 7.6 percent. The high unemployment among persons with disabilities may be due to the COVID-19 pandemic that has impacted everyone's employment, as can be seen in the unemployment rate of adults in the United States. The persons with a disability section of the Current Population Survey (CPS) is a set of six questions to identify persons who have physical, mental, or emotional conditions that cause serious difficulty with their daily activities. Disability in the labor force The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) shows the unemployment rate of persons with a disability that have the ability to participate in the civilian labor force. In 2020 around 20.5 percent of persons with disabilities in the United States participated in the civilian labor force. Among those capable of participating in the civilian labor force, persons with a disability tend to have a higher chance of employment the higher their level of education. Persons with a disability that had a bachelor's degree or higher had the highest employment rate in 2020 at 25.7 percent. Social Security benefits Due to the inability to work, or the lack of access to suitable employment, many persons with a disability rely on government sources for financial aid. A portion of civilian paychecks are taxed to fund programs like the Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) which provide this aid. In 2018, around 12.46 million disabled persons received OASDI or SSI benefits in the United States.

United States Unemployment Insurance: Unemployment Rate: Massachusetts data was reported at 12.760 % in 01 Aug 2020. This records a decrease from the previous number of 14.310 % for 25 Jul 2020. United States Unemployment Insurance: Unemployment Rate: Massachusetts data is updated weekly, averaging 2.650 % from Dec 1986 (Median) to 01 Aug 2020, with 1754 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 16.800 % in 23 May 2020 and a record low of 1.160 % in 13 Oct 2018. United States Unemployment Insurance: Unemployment Rate: Massachusetts data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by US Department of Labor. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.G072: Unemployment Insurance: Jobless Claims: by State.

State Unemployment Benefits in Arizona was 311469.00000 Mil. of $ in October of 2024, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, State Unemployment Benefits in Arizona reached a record high of 18674952.00000 in April of 2020 and a record low of 1604.00000 in April of 1951. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for State Unemployment Benefits in Arizona - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on June of 2025.

Graph and download economic data for Income Before Taxes: Unemployment and Workers' Compensation, Veterans Benefits by Education: High School Graduate (CXUOTHBNFTSLB1304M) from 1995 to 2012 about veterans, secondary schooling, secondary, compensation, benefits, workers, tax, education, income, unemployment, and USA.