U.S. Initial Unemployment Claims Dropped in the Week of October 31

Summary

• Initial unemployment claims declined by 6,000 to 189,000 in the week ending October 31, revised from 194,000.
• Continuing claims rose by 23,000 to 1.718 million in the week ending October 24, revised from 1.701 million.
• The insured unemployment rate remained at 1.1% in the week ending October 24.
• The four-week average for initial claims was 194,750 in the week ending October 31, down from 197,000 in the prior week.
• The four-week moving average for continuing claims was 1.710 million in the week ending October 24.
• No state had an insured unemployment rate above 2.00% in the week ending October 17.
• Massachusetts, Washington, and New Jersey recorded the highest state rates at 1.71%, 1.82%, and 1.98% respectively.
• South Dakota recorded the lowest rate at 0.22%, followed by Louisiana at 0.28% and Florida at 0.31%.
• Texas, Pennsylvania, Illinois, New York, and California had rates of 0.93%, 1.21%, 1.28%, 1.40%, and 1.70% respectively.
• State data are not seasonally adjusted.
• Weekly unemployment claims data originate from the Department of Labor, not the Bureau of Labor Statistics.