• U.S. Initial Unemployment Claims Down 12k

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In the week ending September 1, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 365,000, a decrease of 12,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 377,000 but down 11.2% from the same week a year ago. The 4-week moving average was 371,250, an increase of 250 from the previous week's revised average of 371,000. Click on chart to enlarge The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.6 percent for the week ending August 25, unchanged from the prior week's unrevised rate. The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending August 25 was 3,322,000, a decrease of 6,000 from the preceding week's revised level of 3,328,000. The 4-week moving average was 3,320,750, a decrease of 3,500 from the preceding week's revised average of 3,324,250. The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending August 18 were in Puerto Rico (4.2), Pennsylvania (3.7), New Jersey (3.7), Connecticut (3.7), Alaska (3.6), California (3.5), New York (3.1), Rhode Island (3.0), Oregon (3.0), and Massachusetts (2.9). The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending August 25 were in New York (+3,110), North Carolina (+1,237), Georgia (+1,039), Massachusetts (+731), and Ohio (+631), while the largest decreases were in California (-1,757), Pennsylvania (-1,273), Michigan (-1,203), Florida (-844), and South Carolina (-787). Note: “Insured unemployment rate” refers to individuals who are unemployed and receiving UC benefits. Source: USDOL-BLS

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