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. source: U.S. Department of Labor

Initial Jobless Claims in the United States increased to 197 thousand in the week ending July 25 of 2026 from 188 thousand in the previous week. Initial Jobless Claims in the United States averaged 359.52 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 197 thousand in the week ending July 25 of 2026 from 188 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
2026-07-23 12:30 PM
Initial Jobless Claims
Jul/18 187K 209K 212K 210.0K
2026-07-30 12:30 PM
Initial Jobless Claims
Jul/25 197K 188K 200K 200.0K
2026-08-06 12:30 PM
Initial Jobless Claims
Aug/01 197K 200K 199.0K


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Continuing Jobless Claims - Federal Workers 6507.00 6530.00 People Jul 2026
Continuing Jobless Claims 1782.00 1789.00 Thousand Jul 2026
Initial Jobless Claims 197.00 188.00 Thousand Jul 2026
Initial Jobless Claims - Federal Workers 418.00 470.00 People Jul 2026
Jobless Claims 4-week Average 202.75 207.75 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
197.00 188.00 6137.00 162.00 1967 - 2026 Thousand Weekly
Volume, SA

News Stream
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
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