Nearly 29,000 Maryland residents filed for unemployment benefits for the first time last week, 5,800 more than the previous week. Initial claims in the District and in Virginia were lower.
Nationwide, the Labor Department reported 900,000 Americans filed initial claims for unemployment benefits in the week ending Jan.16. That’s 26,000 fewer than the previous week, when first-time claims reached the highest level since August.
As of last week, 5.05 million Americans were receiving standard unemployment benefits. That’s 127,000 fewer than the previous week. The Labor Department does not distinguish between those who voluntarily stopped receiving benefits and those whose benefits expired.
On an unadjusted basis, which excludes seasonal influences, the initial claims totaled 960,668, down 13.6% from the previous week.
Initial jobless claims, unadjusted, in D.C., Maryland and Virginia during the week ending Jan. 16:
DC
- Week ending Jan. 16: 1,600
- Week ending Jan. 9: 1,876
Maryland
- Week ending Jan. 16: 28,923
- Week ending Jan. 9: 23,084
Virginia
- Week ending Jan. 16: 24,341
- Week ending Jan. 9: 28,227
The Department of Labor posts weekly initial unemployment claims by state online.
