The number of people claiming unemployment benefits in the US fell 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. source: U.S. Department of Labor

Initial Jobless Claims in the United States decreased to 187 thousand in the week ending July 18 of 2026 from 209 thousand in the previous week. Initial Jobless Claims in the United States averaged 359.57 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 July of 2026.

Initial Jobless Claims in the United States decreased to 187 thousand in the week ending July 18 of 2026 from 209 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
2026-07-16 12:30 PM
Initial Jobless Claims
Jul/11 208K 216K 217K 216.0K
2026-07-23 12:30 PM
Initial Jobless Claims
Jul/18 187K 209K 212K 210.0K
2026-07-30 12:30 PM
Initial Jobless Claims
Jul/25 187K 200K 200.0K


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Continuing Jobless Claims - Federal Workers 6530.00 6660.00 People Jul 2026
Continuing Jobless Claims 1796.00 1798.00 Thousand Jul 2026
Initial Jobless Claims 187.00 209.00 Thousand Jul 2026
Initial Jobless Claims - Federal Workers 470.00 424.00 People Jul 2026
Jobless Claims 4-week Average 207.50 214.75 Thousand Jul 2026
Labour Costs 123.78 123.22 points Mar 2026
Productivity 119.40 119.35 points Mar 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
187.00 209.00 6137.00 162.00 1967 - 2026 Thousand Weekly
Volume, SA

News Stream
US Initial Jobless Claims Plunge to 57-Year Low
The number of people claiming unemployment benefits in the US fell 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
US Initial Claims Fall to 2-Month Low
The number of people claiming unemployment benefits in the US fell by 8,000 to 208,000 on the week to July 11th, well under expectations that it would increase to 217,000, to mark the lowest initial claim count in over two months. Continuing claims, which are seen as a gauge of outstanding unemployment in the US, fell by 16,000 to 1,805,000 on the week to July 4th, under expectations of 1,820,000. The improvements indicated that the labor market remains robust with low levels of firing, despite pressure from declining labor force growth. 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 20 to 424.
2026-07-16
US Initial Jobless Claims Fall to 6-Week Low
The number of people claiming unemployment benefits in the US fell by 2,000 to 215,000 on the week to July 4th, below expectations that it would rise to 218,000. Meanwhile, continuing claims, which are seen as a gauge of outstanding unemployment in the US, rose by 8,000 to 1,814,000 in the last full week of June, the highest since late March but below expectations of 1,820,000. While the levels remained slightly above those observed in the start of the second quarter, the data continued to support the view of a low-firing labor market. 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 40 to 404.
2026-07-09