First-time filings for unemployment benefits last week fell in the District, Maryland and Virginia. The largest drop came in Virginia, following the national trend of lower initial claims filed last week.
Nationwide, the Department of Labor reports 498,000 Americans filed for unemployment benefits for the first time during the week ending May 1, the lowest number of weekly initial claims since the pandemic began more than a year ago.
Unadjusted, or not factoring in seasonal influences, initial claims totaled 504,670.
Continuing claims, or the total number of Americans receiving standard unemployment benefits, rose just slightly from the previous week to 3.69 million.
Initial jobless claims, not seasonally adjusted, in D.C., Maryland and Virginia during the week ending May 1:
DC
- Week ending May 1: 1,538
- Week ending April 24: 2,788
Maryland
- Week ending May 1: 6,907
- Week ending April 24: 8,560
Virginia
- Week ending May 1: 13,447
- Week ending April 24: 37,356
The Department of Labor posts weekly new unemployment filings by state online.