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News Release
TRANSMISSION OF MATERIALS IN THIS RELEASE IS EMBARGOED UNTIL
8:30 A.M. (Eastern) Thursday, May 29, 2025
UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE WEEKLY CLAIMS
SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA
In the week ending May 24, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 240,000, an increase of 14,000
from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised down by 1,000 from 227,000 to 226,000.
The 4-week moving average was 230,750, a decrease of 250 from the previous week's revised average. The previous
week's average was revised down by 500 from 231,500 to 231,000.
The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.3 percent for the week ending May 17, an increase
of 0.1 percentage point from the previous week's unrevised rate. The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured
unemployment during the week ending May 17 was 1,919,000, an increase of 26,000 from the previous week's revised
level. This is the highest level for insured unemployment since November 13, 2021 when it was 1,970,000. The previous
week's level was revised down by 10,000 from 1,903,000 to 1,893,000. The 4-week moving average was 1,890,250, an
increase of 2,750 from the previous week's unrevised average of 1,887,500. This is the highest level for this average
since November 27, 2021 when it was 1,923,500.
1
UNADJUSTED DATA
The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 212,506 in the week ending May
24, an increase of 10,742 (or 5.3 percent) from the previous week. The seasonal factors had expected a decrease of 1,131
(or -0.6 percent) from the previous week. There were 197,164 initial claims in the comparable week in 2024.
The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.2 percent during the week ending May 17, unchanged from
the prior week. The advance unadjusted level of insured unemployment in state programs totaled 1,786,881, an increase
of 7,122 (or 0.4 percent) from the preceding week. The seasonal factors had expected a decrease of 17,040 (or -1.0
percent) from the previous week. A year earlier the rate was 1.1 percent and the volume was 1,666,648.
The total number of continued weeks claimed for benefits in all programs for the week ending May 10 was 1,808,372, an
increase of 492 from the previous week. There were 1,710,932 weekly claims filed for benefits in all programs in the
comparable week in 2024.
No state was triggered "on" the Extended Benefits program during the week ending May 10.
Initial claims for UI benefits filed by former Federal civilian employees totaled 610 in the week ending May 17, an
increase of 15 from the prior week. There were 374 initial claims filed by newly discharged veterans, an increase of 4
from the preceding week.
There were 6,378 continued weeks claimed filed by former Federal civilian employees the week ending May 10, a
decrease of 96 from the previous week. Newly discharged veterans claiming benefits totaled 4,569, an increase of 188
from the prior week.
2
The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending May 10 were in New Jersey (2.2), California (2.1),
Washington (2.1), Rhode Island (1.9), District of Columbia (1.8), Massachusetts (1.8), Illinois (1.6), Nevada (1.6), New
York (1.6), Oregon (1.6), and Puerto Rico (1.6).
The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending May 17 were in Illinois (+1,162), Missouri (+447), Louisiana
(+383), Connecticut (+246), and New York (+234), while the largest decreases were in Virginia (-1,277), Michigan
(-1,192), California (-686), Florida (-547), and Massachusetts (-399).
3
UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE DATA FOR REGULAR STATE PROGRAMS
WEEK ENDING May 24 May 17 Change May 10 Prior Year1
Initial Claims (SA) 240,000 226,000 +14,000 228,000 221,000
Initial Claims (NSA) 212,506 201,764 +10,742 204,652 197,164
4-Wk Moving Average (SA) 230,750 231,000 -250 230,250 222,000
WEEK ENDING May 17 May 10 Change May 3 Prior Year1
Insured Unemployment (SA) 1,919,000 1,893,000 +26,000 1,877,000 1,798,000
Insured Unemployment (NSA) 1,786,881 1,779,759 +7,122 1,779,757 1,666,648
4-Wk Moving Average (SA) 1,890,250 1,887,500 +2,750 1,872,500 1,791,750
Insured Unemployment Rate (SA)2 1.3% 1.2% +0.1 1.2% 1.2%
Insured Unemployment Rate (NSA)2 1.2% 1.2% 0.0 1.2% 1.1%
INITIAL CLAIMS FILED IN FEDERAL PROGRAMS (UNADJUSTED)
WEEK ENDING May 17 May 10 Change Prior Year1
Federal Employees (UCFE) 610 595 +15 338
Newly Discharged Veterans (UCX) 374 370 +4 368
CONTINUED WEEKS CLAIMED FILED FOR UI BENEFITS IN ALL PROGRAMS (UNADJUSTED)
WEEK ENDING May 10 May 3 Change Prior Year1
Regular State 1,773,756 1,773,582 +174 1,681,953
Federal Employees 6,378 6,474 -96 4,494
Newly Discharged Veterans 4,569 4,381 +188 4,386
Extended Benefits3 45 27 +18 283
State Additional Benefits4 3,060 3,009 +51 2,664
STC / Workshare 5 20,564 20,407 +157 17,152
TOTAL 1,808,372 1,807,880 +492 1,710,932
FOOTNOTES
SA - Seasonally Adjusted Data, NSA - Not Seasonally Adjusted Data Continued weeks claimed represent all weeks of benefits
claimed during the week being reported, and do not represent weeks claimed by unique individuals.
1. Prior year is comparable to most recent data.
2. Most recent week used covered employment of 152,470,762 as denominator.
3. Information on the EB program can be found here: EB Program information
4. 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 4-5 of this link: Extensions and Special Programs PDF
5. Information on STC/Worksharing can be found starting on page 4-11 of the following link: Extensions and Special
Programs PDF
4
Advance State Claims - Not Seasonally Adjusted
Initial Claims Filed During Week Ended May 24 Insured Unemployment For Week Ended May 17
STATE Advance Prior Wk Change Advance Prior Wk Change
Alabama 2,016 2,091 -75 8,433 8,808 -375
Alaska 639 501 138 4,133 4,349 -216
Arizona 3,736 3,687 49 28,533 30,313 -1,780
Arkansas 1,322 1,263 59 6,769 7,293 -524
California ** 41,552 40,128 1,424 390,026 384,724 5,302
Colorado 3,129 2,836 293 31,860 31,254 606
Connecticut 2,895 2,898 -3 23,219 21,794 1,425
Delaware 285 295 -10 5,104 4,607 497
District of Columbia 868 880 -12 11,269 10,210 1,059
Florida 6,969 6,177 792 30,786 34,118 -3,332
Georgia 4,428 4,716 -288 28,090 29,422 -1,332
Hawaii 950 985 -35 5,600 5,429 171
Idaho 981 964 17 4,975 5,326 -351
Illinois 10,065 10,735 -670 97,610 95,794 1,816
Indiana 3,267 2,512 755 27,867 20,537 7,330
Iowa 2,135 1,696 439 8,223 8,659 -436
Kansas 1,261 1,347 -86 9,552 8,391 1,161
Kentucky 1,901 1,712 189 9,820 9,860 -40
Louisiana 2,053 1,996 57 9,195 10,086 -891
Maine 432 536 -104 6,247 6,435 -188
Maryland 3,489 3,948 -459 24,492 24,072 420
Massachusetts 6,469 6,126 343 68,152 65,602 2,550
Michigan 8,560 5,231 3,329 45,542 57,170 -11,628
Minnesota 4,281 3,571 710 40,745 39,364 1,381
Mississippi 1,397 1,240 157 6,023 6,364 -341
Missouri 3,682 2,905 777 16,505 16,611 -106
Montana 410 441 -31 5,214 5,435 -221
Nebraska 2,145 823 1,322 4,523 4,500 23
Nevada 2,556 2,408 148 23,532 24,203 -671
New Hampshire 355 349 6 3,199 3,830 -631
New Jersey 8,706 8,865 -159 94,001 93,884 117
New Mexico 925 901 24 10,229 10,218 11
New York 13,988 14,083 -95 149,180 150,290 -1,110
North Carolina * 3,368 3,614 -246 23,309 22,822 487
North Dakota 912 317 595 2,475 2,206 269
Ohio 5,556 5,324 232 46,226 48,242 -2,016
Oklahoma 1,495 1,457 38 10,109 10,237 -128
Oregon 4,107 3,735 372 32,907 31,097 1,810
Pennsylvania 10,248 10,461 -213 84,619 84,925 -306
Puerto Rico 1,332 1,026 306 7,237 15,007 -7,770
Rhode Island 1,156 955 201 9,278 9,084 194
South Carolina 2,265 2,228 37 14,463 14,418 45
South Dakota 214 197 17 1,232 1,174 58
Tennessee 2,824 2,853 -29 15,201 15,041 160
Texas 16,266 16,890 -624 158,826 151,013 7,813
Utah 1,503 1,366 137 12,110 12,329 -219
Vermont 367 285 82 2,873 2,692 181
Virgin Islands 16 18 -2 248 226 22
Virginia 3,640 2,715 925 21,069 19,765 1,304
Washington 5,354 5,649 -295 77,616 73,816 3,800
West Virginia 713 677 36 6,705 6,019 686
Wisconsin 3,093 2,846 247 19,721 18,839 882
Wyoming 230 305 -75 2,009 1,855 154
US Total 212,506 201,764 10,742 1,786,881 1,779,759 7,122
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 OUI estimate.
**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 18, 2024 216 -6 219.00 1,798 5 1,791.75 1.2
May 25, 2024 221 5 222.00 1,810 12 1,797.75 1.2
June 1, 2024 229 8 222.00 1,825 15 1,806.50 1.2
June 8, 2024 241 12 226.75 1,832 7 1,816.25 1.2
June 15, 2024 237 -4 232.00 1,844 12 1,827.75 1.2
June 22, 2024 233 -4 235.00 1,864 20 1,841.25 1.2
June 29, 2024 238 5 237.25 1,856 -8 1,849.00 1.2
July 6, 2024 222 -16 232.50 1,866 10 1,857.50 1.2
July 13, 2024 240 18 233.25 1,853 -13 1,859.75 1.2
July 20, 2024 236 -4 234.00 1,874 21 1,862.25 1.2
July 27, 2024 248 12 236.50 1,876 2 1,867.25 1.2
August 3, 2024 234 -14 239.50 1,863 -13 1,866.50 1.2
August 10, 2024 228 -6 236.50 1,859 -4 1,868.00 1.2
August 17, 2024 232 4 235.50 1,864 5 1,865.50 1.2
August 24, 2024 232 0 231.50 1,849 -15 1,858.75 1.2
August 31, 2024 228 -4 230.00 1,845 -4 1,854.25 1.2
September 7, 2024 230 2 230.50 1,827 -18 1,846.25 1.2
September 14, 2024 222 -8 228.00 1,831 4 1,838.00 1.2
September 21, 2024 221 -1 225.25 1,825 -6 1,832.00 1.2
September 28, 2024 227 6 225.00 1,858 33 1,835.25 1.2
October 5, 2024 259 32 232.25 1,869 11 1,845.75 1.2
October 12, 2024 240 -19 236.75 1,884 15 1,859.00 1.2
October 19, 2024 228 -12 238.50 1,855 -29 1,866.50 1.2
October 26, 2024 218 -10 236.25 1,880 25 1,872.00 1.2
November 2, 2024 221 3 226.75 1,872 -8 1,872.75 1.2
November 9, 2024 219 -2 221.50 1,892 20 1,874.75 1.2
November 16, 2024 216 -3 218.50 1,892 0 1,884.00 1.2
November 23, 2024 216 0 218.00 1,871 -21 1,881.75 1.2
November 30, 2024 225 9 219.00 1,873 2 1,882.00 1.2
December 7, 2024 239 14 224.00 1,862 -11 1,874.50 1.2
December 14, 2024 222 -17 225.50 1,882 20 1,872.00 1.2
December 21, 2024 219 -3 226.25 1,828 -54 1,861.25 1.2
December 28, 2024 209 -10 222.25 1,871 43 1,860.75 1.2
January 4, 2025 205 -4 213.75 1,850 -21 1,857.75 1.2
January 11, 2025 217 12 212.50 1,888 38 1,859.25 1.2
January 18, 2025 222 5 213.25 1,849 -39 1,864.50 1.2
January 25, 2025 210 -12 213.50 1,874 25 1,865.25 1.2
February 1, 2025 222 12 217.75 1,839 -35 1,862.50 1.2
February 8, 2025 215 -7 217.25 1,861 22 1,855.75 1.2
February 15, 2025 224 9 217.75 1,847 -14 1,855.25 1.2
February 22, 2025 243 19 226.00 1,892 45 1,859.75 1.2
March 1, 2025 224 -19 226.50 1,851 -41 1,862.75 1.2
March 8, 2025 223 -1 228.50 1,881 30 1,867.75 1.2
March 15, 2025 225 2 228.75 1,847 -34 1,867.75 1.2
March 22, 2025 225 0 224.25 1,893 46 1,868.00 1.2
March 29, 2025 219 -6 223.00 1,844 -49 1,866.25 1.2
April 5, 2025 224 5 223.25 1,878 34 1,865.50 1.2
April 12, 2025 216 -8 221.00 1,833 -45 1,862.00 1.2
April 19, 2025 223 7 220.50 1,908 75 1,865.75 1.3
April 26, 2025 241 18 226.00 1,872 -36 1,872.75 1.2
May 3, 2025 229 -12 227.25 1,877 5 1,872.50 1.2
May 10, 2025 228 -1 230.25 1,893 16 1,887.50 1.2
May 17, 2025 226 -2 231.00 1,919 26 1,890.25 1.3
May 24, 2025 240 14 230.75
6
INITIAL CLAIMS FILED DURING WEEK ENDED INSURED UNEMPLOYMENT FOR WEEK ENDED
MAY 17 MAY 10
CHANGE FROM CHANGE FROM TOTAL
LAST YEAR LAST YEAR INSURED
STATE NAME STATE WEEK AGO UCFE 1 UCX 1 STATE (%) 2 WEEK AGO UCFE 1 UCX 1 UNEMPLOYMENT
Alabama 2,091 -177 -294 9 2 8,808 0.4 391 -255 32 20 8,860
Alaska 501 -11 -111 1 0 4,349 1.4 -156 -300 24 2 4,375
Arizona 3,687 112 -231 8 0 30,313 0.9 3,228 2,421 54 27 30,394
Arkansas 1,263 -66 -88 5 1 7,293 0.6 166 -514 16 13 7,322
California 40,128 -686 238 158 106 384,724 2.1 -5,385 -3,222 1,010 1,188 386,922
Colorado 2,836 -253 147 6 14 31,254 1.1 354 3,935 97 170 31,521
Connecticut 2,898 246 85 0 7 21,794 1.3 -257 360 52 48 21,894
Delaware 295 -1 132 1 1 4,607 1.0 -19 1,214 10 6 4,623
District of Columbia 880 54 274 17 2 10,210 1.8 17 4,708 1,085 5 11,300
Florida 6,177 -547 -435 24 17 34,118 0.4 541 -889 141 77 34,336
Georgia 4,716 205 285 47 15 29,422 0.6 323 326 242 78 29,742
Hawaii 985 -39 -64 0 7 5,429 0.9 77 -754 38 49 5,516
Idaho 964 90 182 0 1 5,326 0.6 -314 -102 19 7 5,352
Illinois 10,735 1,162 2,562 5 2 95,794 1.6 -2,696 -1,400 297 108 96,199
Indiana 2,512 -52 -15 2 3 20,537 0.7 -600 397 44 16 20,597
Iowa 1,696 -39 -50 2 1 8,659 0.6 3,173 1,332 20 7 8,686
Kansas 1,347 102 83 2 0 8,391 0.6 -230 3,720 25 14 8,430
Kentucky 1,712 95 197 0 1 9,860 0.5 -528 1,951 36 23 9,919
Louisiana 1,996 383 41 1 3 10,086 0.5 -186 -1,339 30 8 10,124
Maine 536 -171 68 1 0 6,435 1.0 -153 1,178 21 9 6,465
Maryland 3,948 135 1,537 110 8 24,072 0.9 403 1,050 209 62 24,343
Massachusetts 6,126 -399 1,487 1 0 65,602 1.8 2,225 7,862 105 73 65,780
Michigan 5,231 -1,192 -560 3 2 57,170 1.3 8,002 15,425 62 39 57,271
Minnesota 3,571 137 370 1 1 39,364 1.4 -3,927 1,299 61 60 39,485
Mississippi 1,240 126 -130 2 4 6,364 0.6 205 163 60 14 6,438
Missouri 2,905 447 -175 4 5 16,611 0.6 322 574 52 26 16,689
Montana 441 -11 6 0 0 5,435 1.1 -235 403 54 16 5,505
Nebraska 823 -161 86 0 0 4,500 0.5 -156 299 16 6 4,522
Nevada 2,408 -176 205 1 3 24,203 1.6 -434 1,235 49 74 24,326
New Hampshire 349 -60 -17 1 0 3,830 0.6 -472 709 9 1 3,840
New Jersey 8,865 -367 297 21 16 93,884 2.2 -1,600 -1,757 225 247 94,356
New Mexico 901 -35 188 2 1 10,218 1.2 1 1,038 55 18 10,291
New York 14,083 234 956 19 19 150,290 1.6 -587 4,817 302 174 150,766
North Carolina 3,614 -29 199 5 1 22,822 0.5 -78 3,165 51 89 22,962
North Dakota 317 43 50 0 1 2,206 0.5 -303 447 12 2 2,220
Ohio 5,324 -203 130 11 12 48,242 0.9 -861 10,193 90 69 48,401
Oklahoma 1,457 -83 -178 4 5 10,237 0.6 37 870 33 41 10,311
Oregon 3,735 -145 458 3 3 31,097 1.6 -179 5,960 119 42 31,258
Pennsylvania 10,461 -53 129 20 4 84,925 1.4 750 645 228 96 85,249
Puerto Rico 1,026 -162 -2 4 5 15,007 1.6 -196 1,856 143 49 15,199
Rhode Island 955 135 268 3 0 9,084 1.9 -186 1,322 23 20 9,127
South Carolina 2,228 -156 240 4 2 14,418 0.7 398 800 31 37 14,486
South Dakota 197 20 50 6 0 1,174 0.3 -142 1 20 0 1,194
Tennessee 2,853 -73 -265 3 7 15,041 0.5 52 -4,260 59 37 15,137
Texas 16,890 170 375 69 68 151,013 1.1 -1,706 6,505 502 883 152,398
Utah 1,366 -256 -49 6 1 12,329 0.7 135 1,040 42 15 12,386
Vermont 285 -112 4 0 0 2,692 0.9 -147 470 0 0 2,692
Virgin Islands 18 -6 0 1 0 226 0.6 0 -2 0 0 226
Virginia 2,715 -1,277 491 7 2 19,765 0.5 1,621 3,914 156 63 19,984
Washington 5,649 112 548 4 18 73,816 2.1 946 17,551 252 400 74,468
West Virginia 677 3 -82 1 0 6,019 0.9 -127 -1,299 21 15 6,055
Wisconsin 2,846 78 -611 4 1 18,839 0.6 -1,327 -2,208 36 24 18,899
Wyoming 305 21 36 1 2 1,855 0.7 -178 123 8 2 1,865
Totals 201,764 -2,888 9,047 610 374 1,779,759 1.2 2 92,977 6,378 4,569 1,790,706
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.
7
UNADJUSTED INITIAL CLAIMS FOR WEEK ENDED MAY 17, 2025
STATES WITH AN INCREASE OF MORE THAN 1,000
State Change State Supplied Comment
IL +1,162 Layoffs in the manufacturing, construction, wholesale trade, and retail trade industries.
STATES WITH A DECREASE OF MORE THAN 1,000
State Change State Supplied Comment
VA -1,277 Fewer layoffs in the manufacturing industry.
MI -1,192 Fewer layoffs in the manufacturing industry.
8
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. On a weekly basis, continued claims are also referred to as
insured unemployment, as continued claims reflect a good approximation of the current number of insured unemployed
workers filing for UI benefits. The count of U.S. continued weeks claimed is also a good indicator of labor market
conditions. 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. For further questions on the seasonal
adjustment methodology, please see the official release page for the UI claims seasonal adjustment factors or contact
BLS directly through the Local Area Unemployment Statistics web contact form.
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
Lawrence Essien: (202) 693-3087
Washington, D.C. 20210
Media Contact: (202) 693-4676
Release Number: USDL 25-914-NAT
