News Release
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TRANSMISSION OF MATERIALS IN THIS RELEASE IS EMBARGOED UNTIL
8:30 A.M. (Eastern) Thursday, April 27, 2017
UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE WEEKLY CLAIMS
SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA
In the week ending April 22, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 257,000, an increase of 14,000 from the
previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised down by 1,000 from 244,000 to 243,000. The 4-week moving
average was 242,250, a decrease of 500 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised down
by 250 from 243,000 to 242,750.
The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.4 percent for the week ending April 15, unchanged from the
previous week's unrevised rate. The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending April
15 was 1,988,000, an increase of 10,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised down by
1,000 from 1,979,000 to 1,978,000. The 4-week moving average was 2,007,250, a decrease of 16,000 from the previous week's
revised average. This is the lowest level for this average since June 10, 2000 when it was 2,006,000. The previous week's average
was revised down by 250 from 2,023,500 to 2,023,250.
UNADJUSTED DATA
The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 241,517 in the week ending April 22, an
increase of 15,418 (or 6.8 percent) from the previous week. The seasonal factors had expected an increase of 2,921 (or 1.3 percent)
from the previous week. There were 245,040 initial claims in the comparable week in 2016.
The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.4 percent during the week ending April 15, a decrease of 0.1 percentage
point from the prior week. The advance unadjusted number for persons claiming UI benefits in state programs totaled 2,015,684, a
decrease of 29,171 (or -1.4 percent) from the preceding week. The seasonal factors had expected a decrease of 39,552 (or -1.9
percent) from the previous week. A year earlier the rate was 1.6 percent and the volume was 2,154,608.
The total number of people claiming benefits in all programs for the week ending April 8 was 2,081,133, a decrease of 96,380 from
the previous week. There were 2,255,678 persons claiming benefits in all programs in the comparable week in 2016.
No state was triggered "on" the Extended Benefits program during the week ending April 8.
Initial claims for UI benefits filed by former Federal civilian employees totaled 604 in the week ending April 15, a decrease of 125
from the prior week. There were 774 initial claims filed by newly discharged veterans, a decrease of 109 from the preceding week.
There were 10,557 former Federal civilian employees claiming UI benefits for the week ending April 8, a decrease of 1,084 from
the previous week. Newly discharged veterans claiming benefits totaled 10,476, an increase of 85 from the prior week.
The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending April 8 were in Alaska (3.5), Puerto Rico (2.6), New Jersey (2.5),
Connecticut (2.4), California (2.3), Illinois (2.3), Pennsylvania (2.3), Massachusetts (2.2), Rhode Island (2.2), and Montana (1.9).
The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending April 15 were in California (+3,386), New Jersey (+3,098), Maryland
(+1,563), Ohio (+1,239), and Connecticut (+992), while the largest decreases were in Texas (-3,478), Illinois (-1,953), Florida (1,725), Arizona (-1,472), and Oregon (-1,400).
UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE DATA FOR REGULAR STATE PROGRAMS
WEEK ENDING
April 22
April 15
Change
April 8
Initial Claims (SA)
Initial Claims (NSA)
4-Wk Moving Average (SA)
257,000
241,517
242,250
243,000
226,099
242,750
+14,000
+15,418
-500
234,000
239,659
247,250
WEEK ENDING
April 15
April 8
Change
April 1
1,988,000
2,015,684
2,007,250
1.4%
1.4%
1,978,000
2,044,855
2,023,250
1.4%
1.5%
+10,000
-29,171
-16,000
0.0
-0.1
Insured Unemployment (SA)
Insured Unemployment (NSA)
4-Wk Moving Average (SA)
Insured Unemployment Rate (SA)2
Insured Unemployment Rate (NSA)2
Prior
Year1
261,000
245,040
261,750
Prior
Year1
2,028,000 2,140,000
2,139,057 2,154,608
2,025,500 2,162,500
1.5%
1.6%
1.5%
1.6%
INITIAL CLAIMS FILED IN FEDERAL PROGRAMS (UNADJUSTED)
WEEK ENDING
Federal Employees (UCFE)
Newly Discharged Veterans (UCX)
April 15
604
774
April 8
729
883
Change
-125
-109
Prior Year1
611
1,068
PERSONS CLAIMING UI BENEFITS IN ALL PROGRAMS (UNADJUSTED)
WEEK ENDING
Regular State
Federal Employees
Newly Discharged Veterans
Extended Benefits3
State Additional Benefits4
STC / Workshare 5
TOTAL
April 8
2,041,631
10,557
10,476
0
7,449
11,020
2,081,133
April 1
2,135,937
11,641
10,391
0
7,823
11,721
2,177,513
Change
-94,306
-1,084
+85
0
-374
-701
-96,380
Prior Year1
2,206,422
9,489
13,765
0
8,080
17,922
2,255,678
FOOTNOTES
SA - Seasonally Adjusted Data, NSA - Not Seasonally Adjusted Data
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Prior year is comparable to most recent data.
Most recent week used covered employment of 139,505,637 as denominator.
Information on the EB program can be found here: EB Program information
Some states maintain additional benefit programs for those claimants who exhaust regular, extended and emergency benefits. Information
on states that participate, and the extent of benefits paid, can be found starting on page 4-5 of this link: Extensions and Special Programs
PDF
Information on STC/Worksharing can be found starting on page 4-9 of the following link: Extensions and Special Programs PDF
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 April 22
Advance
Prior Wk
Change
2,320
2,564
-244
1,580
1,225
355
5,543
5,285
258
1,865
1,780
85
45,923
47,139
-1,216
2,341
2,238
103
4,022
4,378
-356
1,232
410
822
506
306
200
6,693
6,839
-146
4,960
5,818
-858
1,341
1,105
236
928
1,035
-107
8,390
9,065
-675
2,430
2,271
159
2,265
2,029
236
1,720
1,561
159
2,079
2,346
-267
2,285
2,602
-317
730
754
-24
2,989
5,053
-2,064
8,930
4,640
4,290
5,361
5,786
-425
3,108
3,010
98
1,145
1,133
12
2,850
2,986
-136
868
808
60
623
875
-252
2,465
2,807
-342
553
604
-51
12,312
12,193
119
776
888
-112
31,718
15,355
16,363
3,230
2,657
573
370
256
114
6,695
8,400
-1,705
1,308
1,361
-53
3,681
3,624
57
12,764
14,496
-1,732
1,559
1,219
340
2,242
1,364
878
2,035
2,348
-313
159
155
4
2,355
2,501
-146
13,798
13,147
651
1,298
1,081
217
1,132
646
486
7
28
-21
2,926
2,493
433
6,036
6,222
-186
860
990
-130
5,819
5,726
93
392
497
-105
241,517
226,099
15,418
Insured Unemployment For Week Ended April 15
Advance
Prior Wk
Change
16,493
16,794
-301
10,785
10,814
-29
24,582
25,968
-1,386
11,715
12,126
-411
392,945
381,526
11,419
25,276
25,091
185
44,329
40,301
4,028
5,772
5,602
170
7,574
8,094
-520
37,860
39,972
-2,112
26,639
28,264
-1,625
7,921
7,496
425
7,530
8,211
-681
124,852
132,793
-7,941
21,639
22,977
-1,338
20,923
21,881
-958
10,554
13,473
-2,919
18,550
19,703
-1,153
21,261
21,714
-453
8,465
9,116
-651
32,884
35,267
-2,383
69,272
75,197
-5,925
61,469
73,578
-12,109
47,801
49,269
-1,468
7,982
9,001
-1,019
22,936
25,837
-2,901
7,667
8,564
-897
4,732
4,993
-261
21,093
21,719
-626
4,218
4,834
-616
102,911
99,185
3,726
10,847
11,309
-462
170,398
157,874
12,524
20,264
21,287
-1,023
5,793
5,446
347
62,251
64,503
-2,252
14,597
15,189
-592
28,338
28,872
-534
119,340
127,052
-7,712
22,324
22,474
-150
9,262
10,022
-760
12,686
13,008
-322
1,892
2,036
-144
16,830
17,020
-190
145,529
139,357
6,172
8,630
9,011
-381
5,393
5,475
-82
480
378
102
24,740
24,265
475
54,837
55,726
-889
11,715
11,975
-260
36,705
38,787
-2,082
4,203
4,429
-226
2,015,684
2,044,855
-29,171
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 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.
Seasonally Adjusted US Weekly UI Claims (in thousands)
Week Ending
April 16, 2016
April 23, 2016
April 30, 2016
May 7, 2016
May 14, 2016
May 21, 2016
May 28, 2016
June 4, 2016
June 11, 2016
June 18, 2016
June 25, 2016
July 2, 2016
July 9, 2016
July 16, 2016
July 23, 2016
July 30, 2016
August 6, 2016
August 13, 2016
August 20, 2016
August 27, 2016
September 3, 2016
September 10, 2016
September 17, 2016
September 24, 2016
October 1, 2016
October 8, 2016
October 15, 2016
October 22, 2016
October 29, 2016
November 5, 2016
November 12, 2016
November 19, 2016
November 26, 2016
December 3, 2016
December 10, 2016
December 17, 2016
December 24, 2016
December 31, 2016
January 7, 2017
January 14, 2017
January 21, 2017
January 28, 2017
February 4, 2017
February 11, 2017
February 18, 2017
February 25, 2017
March 4, 2017
March 11, 2017
March 18, 2017
March 25, 2017
April 1, 2017
April 8, 2017
April 15, 2017
April 22, 2017
Initial
Claims
257
261
276
286
277
268
268
265
273
262
267
259
254
258
263
266
263
261
260
260
257
258
252
253
247
248
258
255
261
250
239
248
262
251
251
265
258
241
245
241
252
250
237
248
247
227
252
246
261
259
235
234
243
257
Change
from
4-Week
Prior
Week
Average
-1
265.25
4
261.75
15
263.00
10
270.00
-9
275.00
-9
276.75
0
274.75
-3
269.50
8
268.50
-11
267.00
5
266.75
-8
265.25
-5
260.50
4
259.50
5
258.50
3
260.25
-3
262.50
-2
263.25
-1
262.50
0
261.00
-3
259.50
1
258.75
-6
256.75
1
255.00
-6
252.50
1
250.00
10
251.50
-3
252.00
6
255.50
-11
256.00
-11
251.25
9
249.50
14
249.75
-11
250.00
0
253.00
14
257.25
-7
256.25
-17
253.75
4
252.25
-4
246.25
11
244.75
-2
247.00
-13
245.00
11
246.75
-1
245.50
-20
239.75
25
243.50
-6
243.00
15
246.50
-2
254.50
-24
250.25
-1
247.25
9
242.75
14
242.25
Insured
Unemployment
2,140
2,137
2,165
2,157
2,158
2,169
2,120
2,155
2,144
2,158
2,123
2,147
2,138
2,140
2,139
2,152
2,161
2,139
2,146
2,133
2,139
2,105
2,076
2,066
2,063
2,064
2,052
2,045
2,050
2,010
2,050
2,084
2,020
2,033
2,044
2,097
2,102
2,081
2,061
2,083
2,063
2,067
2,071
2,052
2,057
2,059
2,025
1,987
2,052
2,035
2,028
1,978
1,988
Change
from
4-Week
Prior
Week
Average
-5 2,162.50
-3 2,150.00
28 2,146.75
-8 2,149.75
1 2,154.25
11 2,162.25
-49 2,151.00
35 2,150.50
-11 2,147.00
14 2,144.25
-35 2,145.00
24 2,143.00
-9 2,141.50
2 2,137.00
-1 2,141.00
13 2,142.25
9 2,148.00
-22 2,147.75
7 2,149.50
-13 2,144.75
6 2,139.25
-34 2,130.75
-29 2,113.25
-10 2,096.50
-3 2,077.50
1 2,067.25
-12 2,061.25
-7 2,056.00
5 2,052.75
-40 2,039.25
40 2,038.75
34 2,048.50
-64 2,041.00
13 2,046.75
11 2,045.25
53 2,048.50
5 2,069.00
-21 2,081.00
-20 2,085.25
22 2,081.75
-20 2,072.00
4 2,068.50
4 2,071.00
-19 2,063.25
5 2,061.75
2 2,059.75
-34 2,048.25
-38 2,032.00
65 2,030.75
-17 2,024.75
-7 2,025.50
-50 2,023.25
10 2,007.25
IUR
1.6
1.6
1.6
1.6
1.6
1.6
1.5
1.6
1.6
1.6
1.5
1.6
1.6
1.6
1.6
1.6
1.6
1.6
1.6
1.5
1.6
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.4
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.4
1.4
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
Totals
Initial Claims Filed During Week Ended April
15
INITIAL CLAIMS
CHANGE FROM
LAST
YEAR UCFE UCX
1
1
STATE WEEK
AGO
2564
-205
-62
7
11
1225
-176
-68
7
0
5285
-1472
-543
10
7
1780
-453
-275
4
1
47139
3386
-3008
120 140
2238
-595
-968
12
24
4378
992
-374
6
4
410
-225
-194
2
0
306
-84
59
9
1
STATE
16794
10814
25968
12126
381526
25091
40301
5602
8094
0.9
3.5
1.0
1.0
2.3
1.0
2.4
1.3
1.5
Insured Unemployment For Week Ended April 8
INSURED UNEMPLOYMENT
CHANGE FROM
LAST
YEAR UCFE
ALL PROGRAMS EXCLUDING RAILROAD
1
WEEK
AGO
UCX 1
RETIREMENT
61
-3367
80
108
16982
-495
-1848
90
37
10941
1458
-2972
159
88
26215
-131
-3681
62
59
12247
-20222
-3063
2266 2259
386051
549
-5021
236 471
25798
-3949
-494
65
77
40443
-411
-665
16
21
5639
146
669
1040 11
9145
6839
5818
1105
1035
9065
2271
2029
1561
2346
2602
754
5053
4640
5786
3010
1133
2986
808
875
2807
604
12193
888
15355
2657
256
8400
1361
3624
14496
1219
1364
2348
155
2501
13147
1081
646
28
2493
6222
990
5726
497
226099
39972
28264
7496
8211
132793
22977
21881
13473
19703
21714
9116
35267
75197
73578
49269
9001
25837
8564
4993
21719
4834
99185
11309
157874
21287
5446
64503
15189
28872
127052
22474
10022
13008
2036
17020
139357
9011
5475
378
24265
55726
11975
38787
4429
2044855
0.5
0.7
1.2
1.2
2.3
0.8
1.4
1.0
1.1
1.2
1.6
1.4
2.2
1.8
1.8
0.8
1.0
1.9
0.5
1.7
0.8
2.5
1.5
1.8
0.5
1.3
1.2
1.0
1.6
2.3
2.6
2.2
0.7
0.5
0.6
1.2
0.7
1.8
1.0
0.7
1.8
1.8
1.4
1.7
1.5
127
-268
163
-1020
-725
-3001
-2486
-708
683
33
-283
3047
-6213
-4726
-7234
-142
-1986
-864
-506
-135
-239
-8325
-203
-8337
-754
-1070
-6988
-228
-2229
-4422
-476
-1037
-65
-565
-585
-2701
-764
-66
-144
-990
-189
-275
-4177
-135
-94202
-1725
-247
-430
-221
-1953
-987
-85
-653
-1150
40
-186
1563
-416
-967
-255
-152
-1195
-80
57
20
-39
3098
-88
79
-731
-145
1239
-241
-1400
-495
-1000
458
-107
-42
-286
-3478
-147
-118
-9
-388
-1283
-195
-302
-86
-13560
-537
-626
-189
-21
-104
-827
28
-449
-250
-189
-155
1694
-2500
69
-252
-399
-534
-272
221
343
-82
2430
-337
-304
-902
-205
2228
-487
182
-1580
-907
289
-91
-53
-57
-3417
-395
-163
-15
-801
-702
-162
-186
-202
-16301
18
26
5
5
9
8
4
1
2
5
1
29
5
15
0
9
7
11
0
1
0
14
1
22
3
0
9
10
19
70
5
1
13
2
9
42
6
1
0
21
6
3
4
5
604
47
35
8
3
13
5
3
13
1
9
3
11
21
10
7
1
10
1
1
5
1
21
0
43
21
1
28
4
17
43
4
3
14
0
1
125
4
0
0
26
15
2
6
0
774
(%)
2
-7036
-3414
966
-283
-2086
-2620
623
280
-4062
-971
-1077
-2602
-867
-3029
-3218
-2182
564
-771
236
-2166
-637
-3324
-2616
-8998
-4783
-1502
-4511
-8215
-606
-13791
371
-272
-1532
113
-5318
-36799
-1814
-545
-118
-4898
3205
-6259
-6237
-3874
-167117
211
182
44
113
328
82
58
37
86
55
39
377
183
175
81
98
81
276
18
140
8
194
161
333
102
9
107
75
420
521
36
28
65
49
403
464
96
12
2
379
174
47
82
112
10557
231
292
113
25
273
54
44
64
203
67
24
179
182
154
92
40
84
37
10
103
4
303
72
525
206
6
261
124
149
349
67
37
112
3
57
1908
31
6
8
410
339
45
36
16
10476
40414
28738
7653
8349
133394
23113
21983
13574
19992
21836
9179
35823
75562
73907
49442
9139
26002
8877
5021
21962
4846
99682
11542
158732
21595
5461
64871
15388
29441
127922
22577
10087
13185
2088
17480
141729
9138
5493
388
25054
56239
12067
38905
4557
2065888
Figures Appearing In columns showing Over-The-Week Changes reflect all revisions in data for prior week submitted by State agencies.
1.
2.
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.
Rate is not seasonally adjusted. The source of US total covered employment is BLS.
UNADJUSTED INITIAL CLAIMS FOR WEEK ENDED APRIL 15, 2017
STATES WITH AN INCREASE OF MORE THAN 1,000
State
CA
NJ
Change
+3,386
+3,098
MD
OH
+1,563
+1,239
State Supplied Comment
Layoffs in the service industry.
Layoffs in the educational service, transportation and warehousing, accommodation and food
service, and public administration industries.
No comment.
Layoffs in the manufacturing and transportation and warehousing industries.
STATES WITH A DECREASE OF MORE THAN 1,000
State
TX
IL
FL
Change
-3,478
-1,953
-1,725
AZ
OR
WA
MO
-1,472
-1,400
-1,283
-1,195
KY
PR
-1,150
-1,000
State Supplied Comment
No comment.
No comment.
Fewer layoffs in the agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, construction, manufacturing,
wholesale trade, retail trade, and administrative, support, waste management and remediation
service industries.
No comment.
No comment.
No comment.
Fewer layoffs in the construction, manufacturing, and administrative, support, waste management
and remediation service industries.
No comment.
No comment.
TECHNICAL NOTES
This news release presents the weekly unemployment insurance (UI) claims reported by each state's unemployment insurance
program offices. These claims may be used for monitoring workload volume, assessing state program operations and for assessing
labor market conditions. States initially report claims directly taken by the state liable for the benefit payments, regardless of where
the claimant who filed the claim resided. These are the basis for the advance initial claims and continued claims reported each
week. These data come from ETA 538, Advance Weekly Initial and Continued Claims Report. The following week initial claims
and continued claims are revised based on a second reporting by states that reflect the claimants by state of residence. These data
come from the ETA 539, Weekly Claims and Extended Benefits Trigger Data Report.
A. Initial Claims
An initial claim is a claim filed by an unemployed individual after a separation from an employer. The claimant requests a
determination of basic eligibility for the UI program. When an initial claim is filed with a state, certain programmatic activities take
place and these result in activity counts including the count of initial claims. The count of U.S. initial claims for unemployment
insurance is a leading economic indicator because it is an indication of emerging labor market conditions in the country. However,
these are weekly administrative data which are difficult to seasonally adjust, making the series subject to some volatility.
B. Continued Weeks Claimed
A person who has already filed an initial claim and who has experienced a week of unemployment then files a continued claim to
claim benefits for that week of unemployment. Continued claims are also referred to as insured unemployment. The count of U.S.
continued weeks claimed is also a good indicator of labor market conditions. Continued claims reflect the current number of
insured unemployed workers filing for UI benefits in the nation. While continued claims are not a leading indicator (they roughly
coincide with economic cycles at their peaks and lag at cycle troughs), they provide confirming evidence of the direction of the
U.S. economy.
C. Seasonal Adjustments and Annual Revisions
Over the course of a year, the weekly changes in the levels of initial claims and continued claims undergo regularly occurring
fluctuations. These fluctuations may result from seasonal changes in weather, major holidays, the opening and closing of schools,
or other similar events. Because these seasonal events follow a more or less regular pattern each year, their influence on the level of
a series can be tempered by adjusting for regular seasonal variation. These adjustments make trend and cycle developments easier
to spot. At the beginning of each calendar year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics provides the Employment and Training
Administration (ETA) with a set of seasonal factors to apply to the unadjusted data during that year. Concurrent with the
implementation and release of the new seasonal factors, ETA incorporates revisions to the UI claims historical series caused by
updates to the unadjusted data.
Weekly Claims Archives
Weekly Claims Data
U.S. Department of Labor news materials are accessible at http://www.dol.gov. The Departments 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 17-509-NAT
Program Contacts:
Brenda Loya
(202) 693-3760
Tony Sznoluch
(202) 693-3176
Media Contact: (202) 693-4676