• U.S. Initial Unemployment Claims Down 3K

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In the week ending September 15, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 382,000, a decrease of 3,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 385,000 but 8.4% below the same week a year ago. The 4-week moving average was 377,750, an increase of 2,000 from the previous week's revised average of 375,750. The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.6 percent for the week ending September 8, unchanged from the prior week's unrevised rate. The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending September 8 was 3,272,000, a decrease of 32,000 from the preceding week's revised level of 3,304,000. The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending September 1 were in Puerto Rico (4.1), New Jersey (3.6), Alaska (3.5), Pennsylvania (3.5), Connecticut (3.3), California (3.1), New York (3.0), Nevada (2.9), Oregon (2.8), and Massachusetts (2.7). The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending September 8 were in Louisiana (+6,678), Puerto Rico (+1,679), Mississippi (+1,067), Wisconsin (+988), and Washington (+833), while the largest decreases were in California (-8,163), New York (-3,449), Michigan (-2,115), Pennsylvania (-1,624), and Iowa (-1,214). Note: “Insured unemployment rate” refers to individuals who are unemployed and receiving UC benefits. Source: USDOL-BLS

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