By New York Post (U.S.) | Created at 2026-08-13 22:51:10 | Updated at 2026-08-13 23:53:52
1 hour ago
`California recorded a staggering 342,747 continued unemployment benefit claims in a single week last month — more than twice the number of the state with next most claims, according to a new report.
An analysis of US Department of Labor data found that the Golden State had vastly higher jobless claims than the other top states on the list, including New York (168,427) and Texas (153,187).
California had 1,905.6 continued unemployment benefit claims for every 100,000 workers covered by its unemployment insurance system between July 4 and July 11, ranking its seventh nationwide by overall rate.
That figure was nearly 86% higher than the national average of 1,027 claims per 100,000 covered workers.
The figures put California behind only New Jersey, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oregon and Washington when claims were adjusted for the size of the covered workforce.
The analysis, conducted by AI productivity platform Plus, examined federal Labor Department data for that specific week and compared the number of continued claims with each state’s covered workforce.
The resulting figure was then used to rank states by their rate of unemployment benefit claims.
A continued unemployment claim generally refers to a claimant who is continuing to receive unemployment benefits after an initial claim, making the measure an indicator of ongoing unemployment benefit activity.
California’s enormous raw total is partly a reflection of its huge workforce. But even after accounting for the size of the covered workforce, the state still ranked among the nation’s highest.
Daniel Li, CEO and co-founder of Plus, said the findings show how differently unemployment pressures are playing out across the country.
“The study highlights the fact that the majority of states have recorded a decline in unemployment benefit claims since 2025, except for eight states,” he said.
The distinction between a state’s raw totals and overall unemployment rate is significant.
California had the highest number of continued claims overall, but several smaller states had higher rates once their covered workforces were taken into account.
New Jersey had the nation’s highest rate, with 2,650.6 claims per 100,000 covered workers, or about 2.65% of its covered employment. Its rate was roughly 158% above the national average, although its total of 112,222 continued claims was far below California’s.
Rhode Island ranked second at 2,334.5 claims per 100,000, while Massachusetts was third at 2,150.1.
At the opposite end of the rankings, South Dakota had the lowest rate in the country, with just 284.9 continued claims per 100,000 covered workers — roughly 72% below the national average.
Florida was second-lowest at 331.8, followed by North Carolina at 413.5.
