U.S Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims for August 13

Seasonally Adjusted Data

In the week ending August 8, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 274,000, an increase of 5,000 from the previous week’s revised level. The previous week’s level was revised down by 1,000 from 270,000 to 269,000. The 4-week moving average was 266,250, a decrease of 1,750 from the previous week’s revised average. This is the lowest level for this average since April 15, 2000 when it was 266,250. The previous week’s average was revised down by 250 from 268,250 to 268,000.

There were no special factors impacting this week’s initial claims.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.7 percent for the week ending August 1, unchanged from the previous week’s unrevised rate. The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending August 1 was 2,273,000, an increase of 15,000 from the previous week’s revised level. The previous week’s level was revised up 3,000 from 2,255,000 to 2,258,000. The 4-week moving average was 2,254,250, an increase of 14,250 from the previous week’s revised average. The previous week’s average was revised up by 1,000 from 2,239,000 to 2,240,000.

Unadjusted Data

The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 239,899 in the week ending August 8, an increase of 15,795 (or 7.0 percent) from the previous week. The seasonal factors had expected an increase of 11,568 (or 5.2 percent) from the previous week. There were 269,468 initial claims in the comparable week in 2014.

The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.6 percent during the week ending August 1, unchanged from the prior week. The advance unadjusted number for persons claiming UI benefits in state programs totaled 2,204,679, a decrease of 10,236 (or -0.5 percent) from the preceding week. The seasonal factors had expected a decrease of 24,836 (or -1.1 percent) from the previous week. A year earlier the rate was 1.9 percent and the volume was 2,462,156.

The total number of people claiming benefits in all programs for the week ending July 25 was 2,260,417, a decrease of 42,092 from the previous week. There were 2,536,430 persons claiming benefits in all programs in the comparable week in 2014.

No state was triggered “on” the Extended Benefits program during the week ending July 25.

Initial claims for UI benefits filed by former Federal civilian employees totaled 848 in the week ending August 1, a decrease of 108 from the prior week. There were 1,307 initial claims filed by newly discharged veterans, a decrease of 18 from the preceding week.

There were 10,777 former Federal civilian employees claiming UI benefits for the week ending July 25, an increase of 469 from the previous week. Newly discharged veterans claiming benefits totaled 18,392, an increase of 28 from the prior week.

The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending July 25 were in Puerto Rico (4.1), New Jersey (3.0), Connecticut (2.7), Pennsylvania (2.5), California (2.3), Rhode Island (2.3), West Virginia (2.3), Alaska (2.2), Nevada (2.2), and the Virgin Islands (2.2).

The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending August 1 were in Virginia (+1,094), Iowa (+538), Florida (+340), Wisconsin (+257), and Indiana (+252), while the largest decreases were in California (-3,157), Tennessee (- 1,451), New York (-1,247), Illinois (-1,099), and Georgia (-440).

U.S Department of Labor

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