Connect with DOL at News Release https://blog.dol.gov TRANSMISSION OF MATERIALS IN THIS RELEASE IS EMBARGOED UNTIL 8:30 A.M. (Eastern) Thursday, April 30, 2026 UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE WEEKLY CLAIMS SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA In the week ending April 25, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 189,000, a decrease of 26,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 214,000 to 215,000. The 4-week moving average was 207,500, a decrease of 3,500 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 210,750 to 211,000. The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.2 percent for the week ending April 18, unchanged from the previous week's unrevised rate. The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending April 18 was 1,785,000, a decrease of 23,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised down by 13,000 from 1,821,000 to 1,808,000. The 4-week moving average was 1,797,250, a decrease of 11,750 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised down by 3,250 from 1,812,250 to 1,809,000. 1 UNADJUSTED DATA The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 179,765 in the week ending April 25, a decrease of 26,668 (or -12.9 percent) from the previous week. The seasonal factors had expected a decrease of 1,724 (or -0.8 percent) from the previous week. There were 224,021 initial claims in the comparable week in 2025. The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.2 percent during the week ending April 18, unchanged from the prior week. The advance unadjusted level of insured unemployment in state programs totaled 1,785,439, a decrease of 63,704 (or -3.4 percent) from the preceding week. The seasonal factors had expected a decrease of 41,574 (or -2.2 percent) from the previous week. A year earlier the rate was 1.2 percent and the volume was 1,898,153. The total number of continued weeks claimed for benefits in all programs for the week ending April 11 was 1,880,515, a decrease of 35,858 from the previous week. There were 1,909,033 weekly claims filed for benefits in all programs in the comparable week in 2025. No state was triggered "on" the Extended Benefits program during the week ending April 11. Initial claims for UI benefits filed by former Federal civilian employees totaled 446 in the week ending April 18, a decrease of 6 from the prior week. There were 361 initial claims filed by newly discharged veterans, a decrease of 19 from the preceding week. There were 9,343 continued weeks claimed filed by former Federal civilian employees the week ending April 11, a decrease of 691 from the previous week. Newly discharged veterans claiming benefits totaled 4,565, an increase of 82 from the prior week. 2 The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending April 11 were in New Jersey (2.5), Massachusetts (2.2), Washington (2.2), California (2.1), Rhode Island (2.1), New York (2.0), Minnesota (1.9), Illinois (1.8), Oregon (1.8), Nevada (1.7), and Puerto Rico (1.7). The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending April 18 were in New York (+2,885), California (+1,590), Tennessee (+1,562), Kentucky (+1,179), and South Carolina (+1,115), while the largest decreases were in New Jersey (-4,280), Pennsylvania (-2,742), Virginia (-1,528), Wisconsin (-1,248), and Indiana (-1,150). 3 UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE DATA FOR REGULAR STATE PROGRAMS WEEK ENDING April 25 April 18 Change April 11 Prior Year1 Initial Claims (SA) 189,000 215,000 -26,000 208,000 239,000 Initial Claims (NSA) 179,765 206,433 -26,668 215,042 224,021 4-Wk Moving Average (SA) 207,500 211,000 -3,500 210,000 225,750 WEEK ENDING April 18 April 11 Change April 4 Prior Year1 Insured Unemployment (SA) 1,785,000 1,808,000 -23,000 1,809,000 1,906,000 Insured Unemployment (NSA) 1,785,439 1,849,143 -63,704 1,883,314 1,898,153 4-Wk Moving Average (SA) 1,797,250 1,809,000 -11,750 1,811,000 1,868,500 Insured Unemployment Rate (SA)2 1.2% 1.2% 0.0 1.2% 1.3% Insured Unemployment Rate (NSA)2 1.2% 1.2% 0.0 1.2% 1.2% INITIAL CLAIMS FILED IN FEDERAL PROGRAMS (UNADJUSTED) WEEK ENDING April 18 April 11 Change Prior Year1 Federal Employees (UCFE) 446 452 -6 466 Newly Discharged Veterans (UCX) 361 380 -19 360 CONTINUED WEEKS CLAIMED FILED FOR UI BENEFITS IN ALL PROGRAMS (UNADJUSTED) WEEK ENDING April 11 April 4 Change Prior Year1 Regular State 1,843,081 1,876,897 -33,816 1,874,338 Federal Employees 9,343 10,034 -691 6,640 Newly Discharged Veterans 4,565 4,483 +82 4,396 Extended Benefits3 23 22 +1 103 State Additional Benefits4 3,437 3,599 -162 3,062 STC / Workshare 5 20,066 21,338 -1,272 20,494 TOTAL 1,880,515 1,916,373 -35,858 1,909,033 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 153,547,535 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 April 25 Insured Unemployment For Week Ended April 18 STATE Advance Prior Wk Change Advance Prior Wk Change Alabama 1,553 1,772 -219 6,947 7,410 -463 Alaska 718 490 228 4,200 4,350 -150 Arizona 3,335 4,115 -780 18,823 19,446 -623 Arkansas 1,925 850 1,075 4,368 4,512 -144 California 38,195 42,464 -4,269 367,025 369,683 -2,658 Colorado 3,541 3,412 129 34,132 32,821 1,311 Connecticut 3,008 5,257 -2,249 26,677 23,844 2,833 Delaware 232 328 -96 5,269 5,501 -232 District of Columbia 629 509 120 7,703 7,196 507 Florida 5,375 5,659 -284 26,793 29,996 -3,203 Georgia 3,784 5,014 -1,230 24,022 26,458 -2,436 Hawaii 1,130 1,331 -201 6,106 6,016 90 Idaho 689 718 -29 5,347 5,838 -491 Illinois 7,215 7,118 97 99,331 105,793 -6,462 Indiana 2,146 2,479 -333 20,185 21,000 -815 Iowa 1,288 1,206 82 7,764 8,781 -1,017 Kansas 1,066 1,284 -218 8,076 7,342 734 Kentucky 1,454 2,872 -1,418 13,520 10,277 3,243 Louisiana 1,302 1,297 5 4,889 6,038 -1,149 Maine 616 548 68 7,665 8,000 -335 Maryland 1,783 1,925 -142 22,449 22,941 -492 Massachusetts 4,666 4,329 337 74,214 79,294 -5,080 Michigan 4,117 4,473 -356 60,954 68,395 -7,441 Minnesota 3,061 3,230 -169 52,196 54,998 -2,802 Mississippi 1,122 930 192 5,639 4,025 1,614 Missouri 2,115 2,267 -152 15,139 15,543 -404 Montana 474 582 -108 6,586 6,675 -89 Nebraska 451 558 -107 5,154 5,612 -458 Nevada 2,251 2,506 -255 25,118 25,900 -782 New Hampshire 329 405 -76 3,331 4,300 -969 New Jersey 7,457 8,501 -1,044 96,567 106,266 -9,699 New Mexico 779 784 -5 10,265 10,089 176 New York 13,563 24,373 -10,810 167,229 189,019 -21,790 North Carolina 2,920 3,104 -184 17,657 17,193 464 North Dakota 239 282 -43 3,589 4,073 -484 Ohio 4,232 5,406 -1,174 44,758 47,343 -2,585 Oklahoma 1,141 1,227 -86 9,849 9,806 43 Oregon 3,867 4,406 -539 34,762 35,353 -591 Pennsylvania 7,962 8,159 -197 78,561 83,692 -5,131 Puerto Rico * 1,813 1,065 748 16,833 15,455 1,378 Rhode Island 2,736 713 2,023 9,762 10,224 -462 South Carolina 1,889 3,897 -2,008 14,789 15,707 -918 South Dakota 171 147 24 1,643 1,859 -216 Tennessee 2,823 4,015 -1,192 14,896 13,912 984 Texas 14,966 16,233 -1,267 145,403 144,082 1,321 Utah 1,394 1,554 -160 12,363 12,523 -160 Vermont 756 411 345 3,283 3,268 15 Virgin Islands * 39 31 8 165 170 -5 Virginia 2,180 2,246 -66 20,667 20,334 333 Washington 5,475 5,969 -494 81,698 79,559 2,139 West Virginia 647 573 74 6,447 5,973 474 Wisconsin 2,828 2,939 -111 22,243 23,072 -829 Wyoming 318 470 -152 2,388 2,186 202 US Total 179,765 206,433 -26,668 1,785,439 1,849,143 -63,704 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. 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 April 19, 2025 224 7 221.00 1,906 66 1,868.50 1.3 April 26, 2025 239 15 225.75 1,876 -30 1,874.50 1.2 May 3, 2025 228 -11 227.00 1,884 8 1,876.50 1.2 May 10, 2025 226 -2 229.25 1,889 5 1,888.75 1.2 May 17, 2025 225 -1 229.50 1,917 28 1,891.50 1.3 May 24, 2025 236 11 228.75 1,896 -21 1,896.50 1.2 May 31, 2025 244 8 232.75 1,947 51 1,912.25 1.3 June 7, 2025 246 2 237.75 1,935 -12 1,923.75 1.3 June 14, 2025 243 -3 242.25 1,960 25 1,934.50 1.3 June 21, 2025 236 -7 242.25 1,954 -6 1,949.00 1.3 June 28, 2025 231 -5 239.00 1,952 -2 1,950.25 1.3 July 5, 2025 228 -3 234.50 1,949 -3 1,953.75 1.3 July 12, 2025 221 -7 229.00 1,941 -8 1,949.00 1.3 July 19, 2025 218 -3 224.50 1,936 -5 1,944.50 1.3 July 26, 2025 219 1 221.50 1,963 27 1,947.25 1.3 August 2, 2025 226 7 221.00 1,942 -21 1,945.50 1.3 August 9, 2025 224 -2 221.75 1,957 15 1,949.50 1.3 August 16, 2025 233 9 225.50 1,942 -15 1,951.00 1.3 August 23, 2025 229 -4 228.00 1,937 -5 1,944.50 1.3 August 30, 2025 236 7 230.50 1,927 -10 1,940.75 1.3 September 6, 2025 259 23 239.25 1,925 -2 1,932.75 1.3 September 13, 2025 233 -26 239.25 1,916 -9 1,926.25 1.3 September 20, 2025 219 -14 236.75 1,921 5 1,922.25 1.3 September 27, 2025 225 6 234.00 1,929 8 1,922.75 1.3 October 4, 2025 233 8 227.50 1,928 -1 1,923.50 1.3 October 11, 2025 222 -11 224.75 1,947 19 1,931.25 1.3 October 18, 2025 231 9 227.75 1,953 6 1,939.25 1.3 October 25, 2025 221 -10 226.75 1,962 9 1,947.50 1.3 November 1, 2025 228 7 225.50 1,946 -16 1,952.00 1.3 November 8, 2025 228 0 227.00 1,949 3 1,952.50 1.3 November 15, 2025 222 -6 224.75 1,943 -6 1,950.00 1.3 November 22, 2025 218 -4 224.00 1,932 -11 1,942.50 1.3 November 29, 2025 216 -2 221.00 1,894 -38 1,929.50 1.2 December 6, 2025 235 19 222.75 1,887 -7 1,914.00 1.2 December 13, 2025 224 -11 223.25 1,910 23 1,905.75 1.2 December 20, 2025 215 -9 222.50 1,860 -50 1,887.75 1.2 December 27, 2025 203 -12 219.25 1,900 40 1,889.25 1.2 January 3, 2026 207 4 212.25 1,875 -25 1,886.25 1.2 January 10, 2026 201 -6 206.50 1,865 -10 1,875.00 1.2 January 17, 2026 210 9 205.25 1,823 -42 1,865.75 1.2 January 24, 2026 211 1 207.25 1,842 19 1,851.25 1.2 January 31, 2026 230 19 213.00 1,859 17 1,847.25 1.2 February 7, 2026 230 0 220.25 1,865 6 1,847.25 1.2 February 14, 2026 208 -22 219.75 1,827 -38 1,848.25 1.2 February 21, 2026 211 3 219.75 1,871 44 1,855.50 1.2 February 28, 2026 214 3 215.75 1,847 -24 1,852.50 1.2 March 7, 2026 213 -1 211.50 1,851 4 1,849.00 1.2 March 14, 2026 205 -8 210.75 1,816 -35 1,846.25 1.2 March 21, 2026 211 6 210.75 1,832 16 1,836.50 1.2 March 28, 2026 203 -8 208.00 1,787 -45 1,821.50 1.2 April 4, 2026 218 15 209.25 1,809 22 1,811.00 1.2 April 11, 2026 208 -10 210.00 1,808 -1 1,809.00 1.2 April 18, 2026 215 7 211.00 1,785 -23 1,797.25 1.2 April 25, 2026 189 -26 207.50 6 INITIAL CLAIMS FILED DURING WEEK ENDED INSURED UNEMPLOYMENT FOR WEEK ENDED APRIL 18 APRIL 11 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 1,772 -40 -15 6 3 7,410 0.4 -96 -890 53 20 7,483 Alaska 490 -7 -50 1 0 4,350 1.4 -101 -120 49 1 4,400 Arizona 4,115 95 -774 8 4 19,446 0.6 815 -6,429 120 33 19,599 Arkansas 850 -616 -478 0 0 4,512 0.3 -25 -2,929 10 4 4,526 California 42,464 1,590 350 98 66 369,683 2.1 7,561 -31,141 1,596 1,176 372,455 Colorado 3,412 -233 188 6 6 32,821 1.2 707 1,658 243 205 33,269 Connecticut 5,257 1,095 -342 0 2 23,844 1.4 -1,176 251 59 19 23,922 Delaware 328 -429 89 1 0 5,501 1.2 265 780 8 12 5,521 District of Columbia 509 -142 -225 26 1 7,196 1.3 -117 -3,018 792 5 7,993 Florida 5,659 -728 -401 20 17 29,996 0.3 827 -2,711 148 59 30,203 Georgia 5,014 186 656 25 9 26,458 0.6 737 -1,978 254 93 26,805 Hawaii 1,331 259 490 0 7 6,016 1.0 183 965 64 53 6,133 Idaho 718 -58 -271 0 0 5,838 0.7 -685 -846 32 10 5,880 Illinois 7,118 -528 -2,171 8 6 105,793 1.8 -3,209 -4,291 383 100 106,276 Indiana 2,479 -1,150 -130 1 4 21,000 0.7 34 -1,250 58 25 21,083 Iowa 1,206 -148 -348 2 1 8,781 0.6 -1,430 -1,695 15 1 8,797 Kansas 1,284 -673 104 10 1 7,342 0.5 397 -1,276 28 23 7,393 Kentucky 2,872 1,179 894 1 0 10,277 0.5 -4,372 -2,974 73 30 10,380 Louisiana 1,297 -243 -211 2 1 6,038 0.3 103 -4,442 33 10 6,081 Maine 548 -57 30 0 0 8,000 1.3 -556 209 32 6 8,038 Maryland 1,925 -487 -1,402 25 12 22,941 0.9 -1,570 -1,595 534 57 23,532 Massachusetts 4,329 -6 -549 0 0 79,294 2.2 -5,563 9,876 297 53 79,644 Michigan 4,473 1 -2,344 3 0 68,395 1.6 -3,671 7,457 134 33 68,562 Minnesota 3,230 -817 -156 4 3 54,998 1.9 -6,170 189 98 58 55,154 Mississippi 930 -128 -15 5 0 4,025 0.4 -1,701 -2,077 64 3 4,092 Missouri 2,267 -277 -1,802 4 0 15,543 0.5 -493 -1,862 66 8 15,617 Montana 582 21 104 6 1 6,675 1.3 -1,192 174 106 14 6,795 Nebraska 558 -166 25 1 0 5,612 0.6 -201 732 12 3 5,627 Nevada 2,506 -290 -325 0 3 25,900 1.7 -168 1,586 81 68 26,049 New Hampshire 405 -70 11 0 1 4,300 0.6 -145 606 3 1 4,304 New Jersey 8,501 -4,280 -4,152 8 15 106,266 2.5 116 6,006 271 250 106,787 New Mexico 784 16 40 7 5 10,089 1.2 200 -383 80 23 10,192 New York 24,373 2,885 9,855 24 18 189,019 2.0 3,368 27,156 586 222 189,827 North Carolina 3,104 -110 -52 7 20 17,193 0.4 -1,712 -6,637 84 83 17,360 North Dakota 282 6 54 2 2 4,073 1.0 -592 356 8 3 4,084 Ohio 5,406 520 -220 5 9 47,343 0.9 -3,398 -7,161 112 84 47,539 Oklahoma 1,227 -40 15 3 3 9,806 0.6 152 -354 38 30 9,874 Oregon 4,406 82 304 6 2 35,353 1.8 -1,200 2,753 292 68 35,713 Pennsylvania 8,159 -2,742 -2,765 18 9 83,692 1.4 -6,993 -7,420 477 113 84,282 Puerto Rico 1,065 -212 613 11 2 15,455 1.7 -678 2,764 298 68 15,821 Rhode Island 713 30 -2,037 5 0 10,224 2.1 -1,037 -216 38 14 10,276 South Carolina 3,897 1,115 1,008 5 4 15,707 0.7 1,627 903 45 38 15,790 South Dakota 147 -41 10 3 0 1,859 0.4 -260 66 10 2 1,871 Tennessee 4,015 1,562 1,356 2 9 13,912 0.4 -664 -1,078 32 35 13,979 Texas 16,233 -1,030 914 45 88 144,082 1.0 711 -4,169 608 845 145,535 Utah 1,554 -168 -117 5 2 12,523 0.7 -218 284 119 20 12,662 Vermont 411 -69 -85 0 0 3,268 1.1 55 75 1 0 3,269 Virgin Islands 31 11 17 0 0 170 0.5 -22 -58 6 2 178 Virginia 2,246 -1,528 -138 13 1 20,334 0.5 1,064 2,877 242 82 20,658 Washington 5,969 -516 185 6 21 79,559 2.2 63 2,210 428 383 80,370 West Virginia 573 -6 -18 1 1 5,973 0.9 -427 -665 48 6 6,027 Wisconsin 2,939 -1,248 -135 2 2 23,072 0.8 -3,286 -1,596 43 10 23,125 Wyoming 470 21 33 5 0 2,186 0.8 -28 99 32 1 2,219 Totals 206,433 -8,609 -4,383 446 361 1,849,143 1.2 -34,171 -31,229 9,343 4,565 1,863,051 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 APRIL 18, 2026 STATES WITH AN INCREASE OF MORE THAN 1,000 State Change State Supplied Comment NY +2,885 Layoffs in transportation and warehousing, health care and social assistance, and in educational services industries. CA +1,590 No comment. TN +1,562 No comment. KY +1,179 Layoffs in manufacturing industry. SC +1,115 No comment. CT +1,095 No comment. STATES WITH A DECREASE OF MORE THAN 1,000 State Change State Supplied Comment NJ -4,280 No comment. PA -2,742 Fewer layoffs in transportation and warehousing, administrative and support and waste management and remediation services, accommodation and food services, and in construction industries. VA -1,528 Fewer layoffs in manufacturing and information industries. WI -1,248 Fewer layoffs in transportation and warehousing and in accommodation and food services industries. IN -1,150 No comment. TX -1,030 Fewer layoffs in accommodation and food services and in retail trade industries. 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 S. Essien: (202) 693-3087 Washington, D.C. 20210 Media Contact: (202) 693-4676 Release Number: USDL 26-674-NAT 9