Initial jobless claims for the week of May 13, 2017
In the week ending May 13, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 232k, a decrease of 4k from the previous week's unrevised level of 236k The 4-week moving average was 240.75k, a decrease of 2.75k from the previous week's unrevised average of 243.,5k
The continuing claims during the week ending May 6 was 1,898K, a decrease of 22K from the previous week's revised level. This is the lowest level for insured unemployment since November 5, 1988 when it was 1,898K.
The previous week's level was revised up 2K0 from 1,918K to 1,920K. The 4-week moving average was 1,946K, a decrease of 20K from the previous week's revised average. This is the lowest level for this average since January 19, 1974 when it was 1,920.75K.
The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending April 29 were in Alaska (3.4), Puerto Rico (2.6), New Jersey (2.3), California (2.2), Connecticut (2.2), Illinois (1.9), Pennsylvania (1.9), Massachusetts (1.8), Rhode Island (1.8), and Nevada (1.7).
The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending May 6 were in Texas (+1,366), Georgia (+1,222), Ohio (+1,156), Pennsylvania (+1,143), and Florida (+1,076), while the largest decreases were in New York (-2,807), California (-830), Oregon (- 541), New Hampshire (-344), and Arizona (-248).
The US jobs data continues to suggest economic activity is moving along.
