Initial jobless claims for the week ending Oct 24: out Thursday, October 29, 2026, at 8:30 AM ET
The story goes up on this page shortly after the release: the new numbers, how they compare with before and what they mean for your money. Until then, here is what the release measures and where the last report left off.
What it measures
The number of people who filed a first claim for state unemployment benefits in the latest week.
Why it matters for your money
It is the most up-to-date read on layoffs. A steady climb over several weeks often shows up before a weaker jobs report.
Where the last report left off
Week ending Oct 3 data
- Initial jobless claims
- 197,000Week ending Sep 26: 199,000
- Continuing claims (Week ending Sep 26)
- 1,716,000Week ending Sep 19: 1,699,000
View the data as a table
| Period | Value |
|---|---|
| Week ending Oct 3 | 197,000 |
| Week ending Sep 26 | 199,000 |
| Week ending Sep 19 | 198,000 |
| Week ending Sep 12 | 198,000 |
| Week ending Sep 5 | 207,000 |
| Week ending Aug 29 | 207,000 |
| Week ending Aug 22 | 204,000 |
| Week ending Aug 15 | 207,000 |
| Week ending Aug 8 | 212,000 |
| Week ending Aug 1 | 200,000 |
| Week ending Jul 25 | 198,000 |
| Week ending Jul 18 | 189,000 |
| Week ending Jul 11 | 209,000 |
| Week ending Jul 4 | 217,000 |
| Week ending Jun 27 | 217,000 |
| Week ending Jun 20 | 216,000 |
| Week ending Jun 13 | 227,000 |
| Week ending Jun 6 | 230,000 |
| Week ending May 30 | 225,000 |
| Week ending May 23 | 212,000 |
| Week ending May 16 | 210,000 |
| Week ending May 9 | 212,000 |
| Week ending May 2 | 199,000 |
| Week ending Apr 25 | 190,000 |
| Week ending Apr 18 | 215,000 |
| Week ending Apr 11 | 208,000 |
Source: Department of Labor, via FRED (Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis). Revised figures replace earlier ones.Full release
The last story
Initial jobless claims fell to 197,000 in the week ending Oct 3, the lowest since JulyContinuing claims rose 17,000 to 1,716,000 in the week ending Sep 26, the first rise after four straight weekly declines.