Weekly claims · released 24 September 2026
Seasonally adjusted. Down 1,000 from the prior week's revised 198,000. The four-week average was 202,250. Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims, released 24 September 2026. The next report is 1 October 2026.
| Item | Figure |
|---|---|
| Week ending 5 September | 207,000 |
| Week ending 12 September | 198,000 |
| Week ending 19 September | 197,000 |
| Four-week average | 202,250 |
Actual initial claims under state programs were 163,811 in the week ending 19 September, up 10,243 from the prior week. Seasonal factors had expected an increase of about that size.
Insured unemployment, seasonally adjusted, was 1,719,000 in the week ending 12 September. Continued claims lag the initial-claims week by one week. The report showed that level up 2,000 from the prior week's 1,717,000.
Departments
A weekly claims print is a filing count, not a list of people who can do the job you have open. Use it as the weather. Use a work sample before the salary. $50 a person, or $95 with one practice exam.
Job seekers
A claims number is not a decision about your application. If no program is buying a seat, Career Fit is $199 and the ZIP list is yours for two years.
23 questions in this section
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Departments
197,000 seasonally adjusted initial claims in the week ending 19 September 2026, down 1,000 from the revised 198,000 the week before. Department of Labor, weekly claims report, released 24 September 2026.
Departments
202,250 for the week ending 19 September, down 1,750 from the prior revised average. A four-week average is there so one holiday week does not swing the story.
Job seekers
If you filed an initial claim in the week ending 19 September under the state program, you are inside that national count. The count is not a status check on your claim. Your state agency has the file.
Departments
163,811 actual initial claims under state programs in the week ending 19 September, up 10,243 from the week before. Seasonal factors had expected an increase of about that size.
Departments
Continued claims are people already receiving unemployment insurance. They lag initial claims by one week. For the week ending 12 September, seasonally adjusted insured unemployment was 1,719,000, up 2,000.
Job seekers
No. An initial claim is a new filing. A continued claim is someone still on the insured roll. In the 24 September report those are different weeks and different counts.
Departments
Seasonally adjusted initial claims were 219,000 in the comparable prior-year week printed in the 24 September report, against 197,000 in the week ending 19 September 2026.
Departments
The week ending 5 September was 207,000 seasonally adjusted initial claims. The week ending 12 September was revised to 198,000. The week ending 19 September was 197,000, an advance figure.
Departments
The Employment and Training Administration posts them on Thursday. The next report after the 24 September release is 1 October 2026. This chart changes when that report changes the number.
Job seekers
No. Claims count filings for insurance. They do not list open jobs. Openings are a different release, and a posting is a third thing.
Departments
No. A national filing count moves for seasonal, legal, and economic reasons that have nothing to do with one desk. Keep the claims chart as context. Keep the work sample as the person-level evidence.
Job seekers
The week of 19 September was 197,000 initial claims, which is a low filing week in this report. That does not open or close a posting. Apply to the job that matches the work you do.
Departments
In the week ending 19 September, adjusted claims fell by 1,000 and unadjusted claims rose by 10,243. Seasonal factors expected that unadjusted rise. Read the label on the chart before you brief it.
Departments
The headline initial-claims figure in this report is regular state programs. Federal programs are published in the same Department of Labor release as separate lines. This page does not fold them into the 197,000.
Job seekers
No. The score is fifty work items, ceiling 110, with no IQ label. A claim is between you and the state. Real World Careers does not see it.
Departments
Seasonally adjusted initial claims were 197,000 in the week ending 19 September 2026, the four-week average was 202,250, and insured unemployment was 1,719,000 in the prior week. Then stop. Do not turn it into a hire rate.
Departments
It is the advance figure. The following week's report revises it. The week of 12 September was revised up by 2,000, from 196,000 to 198,000. Treat the newest week as advance.
Job seekers
Your state unemployment office, not this page. This page copies the national weekly report so a reader can see the level and the date.
Departments
The unemployment rate is a monthly survey of people. A claim is a weekly administrative filing for insurance. Someone can be unemployed and not claim, or claim and later be found ineligible. Do not brief them as the same number.
Departments
The newest week is published before all state reports are final. The next Thursday revises it. The week of 12 September moved from 196,000 to 198,000 on revision. Brief the newest week as advance.
Job seekers
No. The 197,000 is a national count of initial claims. Payment, denial, and timing sit with your state unemployment agency.
Departments
The week ending 19 September was 197,000 and the four-week average was 202,250. One week can move on a holiday or a revision. The average tells you the week was not a one-off against the three weeks before it.
Job seekers
Note the week and the date, then ignore it as a personal instruction. Your next step is a posting you can do, not the national filing count.