The number of people claiming unemployment benefits in the US inched higher by 1,000 to 199,000 on the final week of July, slightly under market expectations of 202,000 to remain near the 57-year low of 188,000 two weeks prior. Continuing claims, which are seen as a gauge of outstanding unemployment in the US, rose by 24,000 to 1,801,000 in the earlier week, remaining well under averages from this year. The data continued to reflect a strong labor market in the US, aligned with statements from FOMC members that see the US economy in full employment. Meanwhile, initial claims filed by federal employees, which have been under scrutiny due the administration's efforts in decreasing the number of public workers, rose by 32 to 450. source: U.S. Department of Labor

Initial Jobless Claims in the United States increased to 199 thousand in the week ending August 1 of 2026 from 198 thousand in the previous week. Initial Jobless Claims in the United States averaged 359.46 Thousand from 1967 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 6137.00 Thousand in April of 2020 and a record low of 162.00 Thousand in November of 1968. This page provides the latest reported value for - United States Initial Jobless Claims - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news. United States Initial Jobless Claims - data, historical chart, forecasts and calendar of releases - was last updated on August of 2026.

Initial Jobless Claims in the United States increased to 199 thousand in the week ending August 1 of 2026 from 198 thousand in the previous week. Initial Jobless Claims in the United States is expected to be 227.00 Thousand by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the United States Initial Jobless Claims is projected to trend around 235.00 Thousand in 2027 and 240.00 Thousand in 2028, according to our econometric models.



Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2026-07-30 12:30 PM
Initial Jobless Claims
Jul/25 197K 188K 200K 200.0K
2026-08-06 12:30 PM
Initial Jobless Claims
Aug/01 199K 198K 202K 199.0K
2026-08-13 12:30 PM
Initial Jobless Claims
Aug/08 199K 198K 204.0K


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Continuing Jobless Claims - Federal Workers 6180.00 6507.00 People Jul 2026
Continuing Jobless Claims 1801.00 1777.00 Thousand Jul 2026
Initial Jobless Claims 199.00 198.00 Thousand Aug 2026
Initial Jobless Claims - Federal Workers 450.00 418.00 People Jul 2026
Jobless Claims 4-week Average 198.75 203.25 Thousand Aug 2026
Labour Costs 123.78 123.22 points Mar 2026
Productivity 120.02 119.59 points Jun 2026


United States Initial Jobless Claims
Initial jobless claims refer to the number of people who have filed for unemployment benefits with their state's unemployment agency for the first time during a specific reporting period, typically on a weekly basis. .
Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
199.00 198.00 6137.00 162.00 1967 - 2026 Thousand Weekly
Volume, SA

News Stream
US Initial Jobless Claims Rise Less than Expected
The number of people claiming unemployment benefits in the US inched higher by 1,000 to 199,000 on the final week of July, slightly under market expectations of 202,000 to remain near the 57-year low of 188,000 two weeks prior. Continuing claims, which are seen as a gauge of outstanding unemployment in the US, rose by 24,000 to 1,801,000 in the earlier week, remaining well under averages from this year. The data continued to reflect a strong labor market in the US, aligned with statements from FOMC members that see the US economy in full employment. Meanwhile, initial claims filed by federal employees, which have been under scrutiny due the administration's efforts in decreasing the number of public workers, rose by 32 to 450.
2026-08-06
US Initial Jobless Claims Below Expectations
The number of people claiming unemployment benefits in the US were at 197,000 on the week ending July 25th, rebounding by 9,000 from the 57-year low in the previous period but still under median expectations of 200,000. Continuing claims, which are seen as a gauge of outstanding unemployment in the US, fell by 7,000 to 1,782,000 in the earlier week, below expectations of 1,800,000 to mark the lowest in over one month. The data continued to reflect a strong labor market in the US, aligned with statements from FOMC members that see the US economy in full employment. Meanwhile, initial claims filed by federal employees, which have been under scrutiny due the administration's efforts in decreasing the number of public workers, fell by 52 to 418.
2026-07-30
US Initial Jobless Claims Plunge to 57-Year Low
The number of people claiming unemployment benefits in the US sank by 22,000 to 187,000 on the week to July 18th, well under expectations that it would increase to 212,000, for the lowest claim count in nearly 60 years. Continuing claims, which are seen as a gauge of outstanding unemployment in the US, fell by 2,000 to 1,796,000 on the previous week following an aggressive downward revision to the first period of July. The data continued to reflect a strong labor market in the US, aligned with statements from FOMC members that see the US economy in full employment. Meanwhile, initial claims filed by federal employees, which have been under scrutiny due the administration's efforts in decreasing the number of public workers, rose by 46 to 470.
2026-07-23