U.S. Dept. of Labor: Initial unemployment claims for the week ending December 21 were 219,000, a decrease of 1,000 from the previous week.
Continuing claims increased by 46,000, reaching a total of 1.91M, the highest level since November 13, 2021. An indication more people are staying unemployed for long periods of time.
By far, California holds the title for both initial and continuing claims. 49,247 and 402,499 respectively. The next closest state is IL with 16,628 and 121,115.
Opinion: Yes California has the highest state population in the nation, but the number of claims are disproportional, significantly higher. Texas and Florida are nearest in population, but their claims are at 15,113 (TX) and 4,497 (FL). IL has roughly half the population of Florida, but unemployment claims are 3x higher in IL. Seems to be a pattern here.