A Visual Guide to Unemployment Benefit Claims

Tax Policy – A Visual Guide to Unemployment Benefit Claims

On March 26, weekly initial unemployment benefit claims hit the highest level in U.S. history, with five times as many filed as during the worst week of the Great Recession. Mandatory business closures and shelter-in-place orders have radically accelerated job losses compared to the steadier pace of layoffs in prior recessions, meaning these claims likely represent a far greater share of the ultimate total than did any week’s claims during the Great Recession. But the numbers are still staggering, with every likelihood of sobering numbers in coming weeks as well.

Our interactive tool allows you to see how initial unemployment compensation claims in each state compare to average and peak weekly claims during the Great Recession. States vary in how quickly they process and report claims, so some states are “ahead” of their peers in reporting substantial increases, and differentials across states may be questions of timing rather than in the effects of the economic contraction.

Many states are woefully unprepared for the magnitude of the challenge ahead. Entering the crisis, 21 states’ unemployment compensation trust funds were below the minimum recommended solvency level to weather a recession. Six states had less than half the minimum recommended amount, representing 37 percent of the U.S. population.

As more firms lay off employees and unemployment increases, states’ unemployment insurance taxes will rise on businesses that can least afford to pay. As states receive federal assistance to aid with unemployment benefits, it may be appropriate to provide some measure of relief to businesses as well, particularly to the extent that their layoffs were precipitated by business closure orders.

Explore your state’s data on our interactive tool below.

Table 1.  Weekly Unemployment Claims During the Great Recession and 2020 Coronavirus

	Great Recession, Average Weekly Claims	Great Recession, Peak Weekly Claims	Week Ending March 21, 2020, Total Weekly Claims
United States	482,266	956,791	2,898,450
Alabama	6,679	20,894	9,490
Alaska	1,730	4,160	8,225
Arizona	5,922	11,178	29,268
Arkansas	5,077	10,489	8,958
California	58,695	95,705	186,809
Colorado	3,525	7,284	19,429
Connecticut	5,102	13,023	25,098
Delaware	1,235	3,051	10,720
District of Columbia	426	1,287	13,473
Florida	17,967	40,403	74,021
Georgia	14,156	41,522	11,746
Hawaii	1,793	3,211	8,904
Idaho	2,749	7,303	13,314
Illinois	17,760	34,524	114,663
Indiana	10,891	28,616	61,635
Iowa	5,293	13,865	41,890
Kansas	3,913	18,064	23,687
Kentucky	7,974	25,057	48,847
Louisiana	3,783	28,080	72,620
Maine	1,678	5,634	21,197
Maryland	5,775	12,031	41,882
Massachusetts	8,881	22,028	147,995
Michigan	22,013	76,702	129,298
Minnesota	6,720	15,195	116,438
Mississippi	3,477	9,420	6,723
Missouri	9,227	21,413	40,508
Montana	1,433	3,837	14,704
Nebraska	1,637	3,780	15,668
Nevada	4,765	8,945	93,036
New Hampshire	1,413	3,594	21,878
New Jersey	12,255	24,095	155,454
New Mexico	1,478	3,308	17,187
New York	24,033	54,805	80,334
North Carolina	17,175	56,647	93,587
North Dakota	610	2,332	5,968
Ohio	16,945	40,829	187,784
Oklahoma	2,867	6,196	17,720
Oregon	9,316	20,916	22,824
Pennsylvania	28,262	59,669	378,908
Puerto Rico	3,519	7,267	1,471
Rhode Island	1,855	3,987	35,436
South Carolina	7,730	22,548	31,064
South Dakota	463	1,382	1,703
Tennessee	8,398	30,753	39,096
Texas	18,092	49,398	155,657
Utah	2,112	5,205	19,591
Vermont	1,016	2,860	3,667
Virgin Islands	65	235	58
Virginia	7,098	21,862	46,885
Washington	11,091	26,075	133,478
West Virginia	1,747	4,368	3,435
Wisconsin	16,025	35,885	50,957
Wyoming	565	1,483	2,339
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Source: Tax Policy – A Visual Guide to Unemployment Benefit Claims