Initial claims for unemployment insurance in the week ending September 14 increased 2,000 to 208,000 (-1.9% y/y) from an upwardly revised 206,000 in the previous week (originally 204,000). The Action Economics Forecast Survey expected 211,000. The four-week moving average of initial claims, which smooths out week-to-week volatility, declined to 212,250 from 213,000.

Continuing claims for unemployment insurance fell 13,000 to 1.661 million (-0.2% y/y) in the week ending September 7 from 1.674 million in the prior week, upwardly revised from 1.670 million. The 1.661 million reading was the lowest since April 13. The four-week moving average of claimants declined to 1.678 million from 1.681 million.

The insured rate of unemployment for the week ending September 7 remained at the record low 1.2%, where it has been since May 2018. Data on the insured unemployment rate go back to 1971.

Insured rates of unemployment vary widely by state. During the week ending August 31, the lowest rates were in South Dakota (0.20%), Nebraska (0.32%), Kentucky (0.35%), Utah (0.41%), and Indiana (0.43%). The highest rates were in Alaska (1.48%), California (1.57%), Pennsylvania (1.71%), Connecticut (1.83%), and New Jersey (2.33%). Among the other largest states by population not mentioned above, the rate was 0.96% in Texas, 0.47% in Florida, and 1.42% in New York. These state data are not seasonally adjusted.

Data on weekly unemployment claims going back to 1967 are contained in Haver's WEEKLY database, and they are summarized monthly in USECON. Data for individual states are in REGIONW. The expectations figure is from the Action Economics Forecast Survey, carried in the AS1REPNA database.