U.S. unemployment has experienced fluctuations and a small overall rise over the past year. Most recently, the job market continued to falter, with new unemployment claims increasing by 3.5% week-over-week on August 25. There are currently 7.2 million Americans unemployed in total, and it’s important to look at some key stats for the latest week to get the complete picture:
- The following states had unemployment claims last week that were higher than in the previous week: Tennessee, Connecticut, Nebraska, Mississippi, Alaska, North Dakota, Kansas, Massachusetts, Illinois, South Dakota, New York, Oregon, Maine, Iowa, Delaware, Michigan, Arkansas, Virginia, California, Maryland, West Virginia, Washington, Colorado, Idaho and the District of Columbia.
- While there was an increase in weekly claims nationally, 29 states –including Wisconsin, Massachusetts, and North Dakota – had unemployment claims last week that were better than the same week last year.
To identify where unemployment claims are increasing the most, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia based on changes in unemployment claims for several key benchmark weeks. We also considered the number of claims per 100,000 people in the labor force.
Main Findings
States with Biggest Increases in Unemployment Claims
| State | Increased Most Since Last Week* | Claims per 100,000 People in Labor Force (Rank)** |
|---|---|---|
| Connecticut | 1 | 1 |
| Tennessee | 2 | 7 |
| District of Columbia | 3 | 8 |
| Nebraska | 4 | 21 |
| Illinois | 5 | 5 |
| Oregon | 6 | 3 |
| Virginia | 7 | 45 |
| Mississippi | 8 | 18 |
| New York | 9 | 6 |
| California | 10 | 2 |
| New Jersey | 11 | 4 |
| Alaska | 12 | 10 |
| Washington | 13 | 14 |
| Delaware | 14 | 48 |
| Colorado | 15 | 23 |
| Texas | 16 | 16 |
| Nevada | 17 | 9 |
| Kansas | 18 | 28 |
| Maryland | 19 | 44 |
| Kentucky | 20 | 34 |
| North Dakota | 21 | 43 |
| Michigan | 22 | 17 |
| Maine | 23 | 40 |
| Utah | 24 | 35 |
| Rhode Island | 25 | 15 |
| Pennsylvania | 26 | 11 |
| Idaho | 27 | 29 |
| Minnesota | 28 | 19 |
| South Dakota | 29 | 51 |
| New Mexico | 30 | 36 |
| Wyoming | 31 | 25 |
| Massachusetts | 32 | 13 |
| Iowa | 33 | 20 |
| Louisiana | 34 | 31 |
| Ohio | 35 | 24 |
| West Virginia | 36 | 22 |
| Hawaii | 37 | 12 |
| South Carolina | 38 | 38 |
| Oklahoma | 39 | 41 |
| North Carolina | 40 | 46 |
| Missouri | 41 | 37 |
| Florida | 42 | 49 |
| Georgia | 43 | 33 |
| Arkansas | 44 | 27 |
| Arizona | 45 | 26 |
| Montana | 46 | 42 |
| Indiana | 47 | 39 |
| Alabama | 48 | 30 |
| Vermont | 49 | 47 |
| Wisconsin | 50 | 32 |
| New Hampshire | 51 | 50 |
*Rank 1 = Biggest Increase
**Rank 1 = Most
Detailed Findings
| State | Change in Unemployment Claims (Latest Week vs. Previous Week)* | Change in Unemployment Claims (Latest Week vs Same Week of 2024)** | Change in Unemployment Claims (Year to Date vs Same Period of 2024)*** | Unemployment Claims per 100,000 People in the Labor Force |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Connecticut | 89.26% | 103.09% | 17.62% | 317 |
| Tennessee | 103.09% | 114.50% | 18.68% | 163 |
| District of Columbia | 4.67% | 15.44% | 105.36% | 158 |
| Nebraska | 63.21% | 65.21% | 35.08% | 86 |
| Illinois | 13.74% | 39.31% | 28.61% | 170 |
| Oregon | 12.17% | 30.78% | 18.58% | 190 |
| Virginia | 3.84% | 30.18% | 43.77% | 52 |
| Mississippi | 35.68% | 30.73% | 6.92% | 97 |
| New York | 12.20% | 9.81% | 13.69% | 167 |
| California | 3.56% | 2.90% | 11.47% | 198 |
| New Jersey | -5.54% | 2.77% | 17.85% | 173 |
| Alaska | 30.42% | 14.73% | -6.70% | 148 |
| Washington | 1.63% | 6.66% | 21.21% | 122 |
| Delaware | 7.41% | 39.57% | 15.98% | 51 |
| Colorado | 1.60% | 5.57% | 25.73% | 83 |
| Texas | -1.71% | 22.94% | 11.90% | 106 |
| Nevada | -5.61% | -5.67% | 14.88% | 156 |
| Kansas | 21.15% | -7.39% | 12.11% | 81 |
| Maryland | 3.31% | -2.00% | 26.31% | 60 |
| Kentucky | -64.39% | 0.82% | 68.07% | 75 |
| North Dakota | 22.52% | -30.96% | 22.09% | 62 |
| Michigan | 6.70% | -6.20% | 14.85% | 105 |
| Maine | 11.45% | 21.99% | 8.53% | 66 |
| Utah | -6.46% | 4.96% | 25.95% | 72 |
| Rhode Island | -2.18% | -15.33% | 20.20% | 121 |
| Pennsylvania | -6.21% | -9.45% | 14.61% | 131 |
| Idaho | 1.01% | 8.94% | 11.86% | 79 |
| Minnesota | -3.62% | -7.50% | 16.96% | 96 |
| South Dakota | 12.23% | -8.24% | 17.94% | 31 |
| New Mexico | -6.12% | -0.56% | 19.58% | 71 |
| Wyoming | -2.46% | 0.85% | 14.10% | 81 |
| Massachusetts | 16.48% | -37.36% | 5.12% | 125 |
| Iowa | 9.50% | -9.62% | 6.71% | 87 |
| Louisiana | -1.10% | -3.81% | 13.55% | 78 |
| Ohio | -1.38% | -12.04% | 12.96% | 82 |
| West Virginia | 3.07% | -8.71% | 7.07% | 85 |
| Hawaii | -7.32% | -4.94% | 2.30% | 129 |
| South Carolina | -8.02% | -7.88% | 15.10% | 68 |
| Oklahoma | -3.65% | -4.70% | 10.64% | 66 |
| North Carolina | -13.32% | -12.23% | 21.97% | 51 |
| Missouri | -11.32% | -5.18% | 11.41% | 70 |
| Florida | -9.73% | -8.30% | 12.69% | 50 |
| Georgia | -9.99% | -19.85% | 9.63% | 77 |
| Arkansas | 4.10% | -28.52% | 1.08% | 81 |
| Arizona | -6.35% | -17.73% | 1.13% | 81 |
| Montana | -8.37% | 1.06% | -2.61% | 65 |
| Indiana | -10.52% | -23.02% | 2.97% | 67 |
| Alabama | -4.60% | -8.43% | -10.61% | 78 |
| Vermont | -30.27% | -17.27% | 14.30% | 51 |
| Wisconsin | -5.31% | -38.07% | -4.83% | 78 |
| New Hampshire | -35.12% | -17.94% | 12.69% | 36 |
*Refers to the change in the number of unemployment insurance initial claims in the week of August 25, 2025 compared to the week of August 18, 2025.
**Refers to the change in the number of unemployment insurance initial claims in the week of August 25, 2025 compared to the week of August 26, 2024.
***Refers to the change in the number of unemployment insurance initial claims between the weeks of December 30, 2024 to August 25, 2025 compared to the weeks of January 1, 2024 to August 26, 2024.
(Latest Week vs Previous Week)
- Biggest Increase*
- 1. Tennessee
- 2. Connecticut
- 3. Nebraska
- 4. Mississippi
- 5. Alaska
- Smallest Increase*
- 47. Missouri
- 48. North Carolina
- 49. Vermont
- 50. New Hampshire
- 51. Kentucky
(Latest Week vs Same Week of 2024)
- Biggest Increase**
- 1. Tennessee
- 2. Connecticut
- 3. Nebraska
- 4. Delaware
- 5. Illinois
- Smallest Increase**
- 47. Indiana
- 48. Arkansas
- 49. North Dakota
- 50. Massachusetts
- 51. Wisconsin
(Year to Date vs Same Period of 2024)
- Biggest Increase***
- 1. District of Columbia
- 2. Kentucky
- 3. Virginia
- 4. Nebraska
- 5. Illinois
- Smallest Increase***
- 47. Arkansas
- 48. Montana
- 49. Wisconsin
- 50. Alaska
- 51. Alabama
- Most Claims per 100,000 People in Labor Force
- 1. Connecticut
- 2. California
- 3. Oregon
- 4. New Jersey
- 5. Illinois
- Least Claims per 100,000 People in Labor Force
- 47. Vermont
- 48. Delaware
- 49. Florida
- 50. New Hampshire
- 51. South Dakota
*Refers to the change in the number of unemployment insurance initial claims in the week of August 25, 2025 compared to the week of August 18, 2025.
**Refers to the change in the number of unemployment insurance initial claims in the week of August 25, 2025 compared to the week of August 26, 2024.
***Refers to the change in the number of unemployment insurance initial claims between the weeks of December 30, 2024 to August 25, 2025 compared to the weeks of January 1, 2024 to August 26, 2024.
Blue States vs. Red States
Ask the Experts
To help provide some guidance for Americans who have lost their jobs or are worried about losing them, WalletHub turned to a panel of experts to provide some additional insight. Click on the experts below to view their bios and responses to the following key questions:
- Do you think the hiring dynamic is currently tilted in the employees’ favor?
- With inflation still significant, what is your advice for people looking to protect their finances?
- Given the current circumstances, what trends do you expect to see in terms of unemployment in the foreseeable future?
- What are your predictions for the job market as we move forward during 2025 (job gains, hiring confidence, quit rates etc.)?
Ask the Experts
Ph.D. – Vice President | Public and Business Engagement and Chief Economist | Regional Economic Studies Institute (RESI) – Towson University
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Professor and Chair, Department of Finance and Economics, McCoy College of Business - Texas State University
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Ph.D. Economist
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Assistant Professor of Instruction in the Economics Department – Temple University
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Ph.D. – Assistant Professor of Economics, Department of Economics and Business - Southwestern University
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Ph.D., Professor of Economics, Romain College of Business - University of Southern Indiana
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Methodology
In order to identify where unemployment claims are increasing the most, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia based on changes in unemployment insurance initial claims for several key weeks. We also considered the number of claims per 100,000 people in the labor force. The metrics are listed below with their corresponding weights. We then used those metrics to rank-order the states.
- Change in Number of Unemployment Insurance Initial Claims in Latest Week vs. Previous Week: Double Weight (~33.33 Points)
Note: This metric measures the change in the number of unemployment insurance initial claims in the week of August 25, 2025 compared to the week of August 18, 2025. - Change in Number of Unemployment Insurance Initial Claims in Latest Week vs. Same Week of 2024: Full Weight (~16.67 Points)
Note: This metric measures the change in the number of unemployment insurance initial claims in the week of August 25, 2025 compared to the week of August 26, 2024. - Change in Number of Unemployment Insurance Initial Claims Year to Date vs. Same Period of 2024: Double Weight (~33.33 Points)
Note: This metric measures the change in the number of unemployment insurance initial claims between the weeks of December 30, 2024 to August 25, 2025 compared to the weeks of January 1, 2024 to August 26, 2024. - Number of Unemployment Insurance Initial Claims per 100,000 People in Labor Force: Full Weight (~16.67 Points).
Sources: Data used to create this ranking were obtained from the U.S. Department of Labor.
WalletHub experts are widely quoted. Contact our media team to schedule an interview.