The number of Virginians filing unemployment benefits claims for the first time last week totaled more than 25,000, more than double the state’s initial claims for standard benefits the week prior.
New filings in D.C. and Maryland fell.
Nationwide, the Department of Labor reports 787,000 new filings for unemployment benefits, down 3,000 from the previous week. The four-week average of initial claims is now 819,000 — 19,000 less than the four week average during the previous week.
As of Jan. 2, 5 million Americans were receiving standard state unemployment benefits, down 126,000 from the previous week. The Labor Department does not distinguish between those voluntarily ending their unemployment aid or those whose benefits have run out.
On a seasonally-unadjusted basis, 922,072 new claims for unemployment benefits were filed last week, a 9.2% increase from the previous week.
Below are the initial claims for unemployment benefits, unadjusted, for D.C., Maryland and Virginia for the week ending Jan. 2:
District of Columbia:
Week ending Jan. 2: 1,335
Week ending Dec. 26: 1,655
Maryland:
Week ending Jan. 2: 10,672
Week ending Dec. 26: 13,629
Virginia:
Week ending Jan. 2: 25,170
Week ending Dec. 26: 11,890
The Labor Department posts weekly initial unemployment claims by state online.
