According to the Department of Labor, 847,000 Americans filed for first time unemployment claims last week, a 7.5% decrease from the previous week but still an elevated level from the pre-coronavirus era.
Florida, Maryland, Kansas and Ohio saw the highest increases in unemployment claims, while California, New York, Texas and Pennsylvania saw the largest decreases. Nineteen states began offering extended unemployment benefits starting January 9th, which may account for some first-time claims applications in those states.
Unemployment claims were about 750% higher than the same period last year, prior to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.