Initial jobless claims for the week ending Oct 31: out Thursday, November 5, 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 10 data
- Initial jobless claims
- 199,000Week ending Oct 3: 198,000
- Continuing claims (Week ending Oct 3)
- 1,710,000Week ending Sep 26: 1,714,000
View the data as a table
| Period | Value |
|---|---|
| Week ending Oct 10 | 199,000 |
| Week ending Oct 3 | 198,000 |
| 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 |
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 rose 1,000 to 199,000 in the week ending Oct 10Continuing claims fell 4,000 to 1,710,000 in the week ending Oct 3, well below the 1,928,000 recorded a year earlier.