US Initial Jobless Claims Fall to 204,000
Brief · Published 2026-08-22 · Data period 2026-08-22
This brief was generated automatically from the published data; no human byline is attached. Read the methodology.
Initial jobless claims fell to 204,000 in the week ending August 22, from 207,000 previously. The reading is the second lowest in recent weeks, with the recent low of 189,000 recorded on July 18. Claims have declined from 225,000 in late May and remain well below the year-ago level of 229,000. The current level is far below the all-time high of 6,137,000 set in April 2020 and remains above the historical low of 162,000 from November 1968. Continuing claims, which cover workers receiving ongoing benefits, totaled 1,779,000 in the same week, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
Related
- United States Population
- United States Average Hourly Earnings
- United States Average Hourly Earnings YoY
- United States Average Weekly Hours
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Source & methodology
Data source: Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
Values are verified on ingest and republished only when the source revises. How we source and standardize data, including how to request an audit trail for any value.