U.S. jobless claims fall as initial applications drop to 215,000

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U.S. jobless claims drop

Highlights

Seasonally adjusted initial jobless claims fall to 215,000 for the week ending June 20, down 12,000 from the prior week's revised 227,000.
Seasonally adjusted insured unemployment increases by 21,000 to 1,821,000 for the week ending June 13, while the insured unemployment rate remains unchanged at 1.2 percent.
Unadjusted state program initial claims drop by 13,509 to 207,133, outpacing seasonal expectations, with the comparable 2025 week reporting 227,516 claims.

Latest claims data and weekly revisions

As reported by the U.S. Department of Labor, seasonally adjusted initial claims total 215,000 in the week ending June 20, down 12,000 from the prior week's revised level of 227,000. The previous week's figure is revised up by 1,000 from 226,000, while the four-week moving average rises by 750 to 224,250.

Seasonally adjusted insured unemployment stands at 1,821,000 for the week ending June 13, up 21,000 from the prior week's revised level. The insured unemployment rate is unchanged at 1.2 percent, and the four-week moving average for insured unemployment increases by 9,000 to 1,794,500.

On an unadjusted basis, initial claims under state programs total 207,133 in the week ending June 20, a drop of 13,509 from the previous week. That decline is steeper than the 1,592 decrease anticipated by seasonal factors, and the comparable week in 2025 records 227,516 claims.

Regional patterns and broader labor market signals

The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate holds at 1.1 percent in the week ending June 13, while the number of insured unemployed in state programs climbs by 52,812 to 1,730,250. A year earlier, the rate is 1.2 percent and the volume is 1,862,043.

The total number of continued weeks claimed across all programs for the week ending June 6 is 1,702,755, down 2,906 from the previous week. No state triggers the Extended Benefits program during that week.

The highest insured unemployment rates for the week ending June 6 are in Puerto Rico at 2.2 percent, New Jersey at 2.0 percent, and Massachusetts and Washington at 1.9 percent. The largest weekly increases in initial claims for the week ending June 13 are in Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Oregon, Kentucky and Michigan, while the biggest declines are in Illinois, Ohio, South Carolina, Puerto Rico and New York.

Claims filed by former Federal civilian employees total 431 in the week ending June 13, while newly discharged veterans file 398 initial claims. Continued claims for those groups in the week ending June 6 amount to 6,618 and 4,436 respectively, both lower than the prior week.

In our earlier coverage of the latest U.S. jobless-claims report, we noted that initial claims fell to 215,000 for the week ended June 20 while continuing claims rose to 1.821 million, pointing to limited layoffs but still-cautious hiring. We also highlighted factors that can complicate the weekly readings—such as the Juneteenth holiday and seasonal distortions—alongside signs that job seekers are taking longer to find work, with unemployment duration rising to its highest level since late 2021.

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