Jobless claims filed by Arizona residents since the start of coronavirus shutdown orders in mid-March have hit 580,559, or 16.5 percent of the state’s workforce, according to a new analysis from the website 24/7 Wall St.
The share of Arizona workers filing unemployment claims since the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic was the 38th highest percentage among the 50 states, the analysis said. The state’s projected unemployment rate by July was estimated at 15.4 percent in the study.
The data reflects jobless claims numbers released as of May 21. Nationwide, about 35 million people have filed for unemployment benefits since President Trump proclaimed the spread of the virus a national emergency in March.
The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics earlier this month calculated that the U.S. jobless rate stood at 14.7 percent. Over the past nine weeks, job losses by state have ranged from 10 percent to close to 40 percent, based on the relative size of the state’s workforce, according to 24/7 Wall St.
The study attributed the high unemployment totals to social distancing, the closure of nonessential businesses and stay-at-home orders put in place during the coronavirus emergency.
States with high projected unemployment rates tend to have a large share of industries such as hospitality, transportation and warehousing, oil and gas production, and travel-related services, according to the analysis. Such industries were disproportionately affected by the pandemic, 24/7 Wall St. reported.
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Jobless Claims by State Since Coronavirus Shutdowns Began
Rank Based on Unemployment Claims as Share of Workforce | State | Jobless Claims Filed Since Mid-March | Jobless Claims as Share of Workforce | # of May 10-16 Jobless Claims | % Change in Weekly Claims From 1 Year Ago | Projected July Jobless Rate |
1 | Georgia | 2,013,587 | 39.4% | 176,548 | 4019.2% | 14.9% |
2 | Kentucky | 789,638 | 38.4% | 47,036 | 1970.2% | 16.3% |
3 | Hawaii | 232,651 | 35.0% | 11,038 | 788.7% | 17.8% |
4 | Washington | 1,215,350 | 31.3% | 145,228 | 2534.3% | 15.2% |
5 | Louisiana | 628,201 | 30.2% | 28,843 | 1156.2% | 18.0% |
6 | Nevada | 456,202 | 29.8% | 20,401 | 929.8% | 19.7% |
7 | Rhode Island | 164,246 | 29.7% | 3,852 | 440.3% | 15.4% |
8 | Michigan | 1,436,250 | 29.1% | 54,460 | 828.4% | 15.2% |
9 | Pennsylvania | 1,852,824 | 28.8% | 64,078 | 437.2% | 16.6% |
10 | Alaska | 96,200 | 27.9% | 8,117 | 891.1% | 17.8% |
11 | New Hampshire | 190,167 | 24.8% | 8,333 | 1893.5% | 15.0% |
12 | New Jersey | 1,088,905 | 24.4% | 41,323 | 485.8% | 15.6% |
13 | Oklahoma | 434,326 | 23.7% | 23,880 | 1280.3% | 14.7% |
14 | New York | 2,230,925 | 23.4% | 226,521 | 1807.7% | 16.4% |
15 | California | 4,452,894 | 22.9% | 246,115 | 557.6% | 15.6% |
16 | Massachusetts | 864,165 | 22.7% | 38,328 | 707.8% | 15.1% |
17 | South Carolina | 523,885 | 22.2% | 29,446 | 1371.6% | 15.0% |
18 | Alabama | 496,706 | 22.1% | 24,528 | 888.6% | 14.5% |
19 | Florida | 2,213,210 | 21.5% | 223,927 | 3424.2% | 15.5% |
20 | Minnesota | 662,429 | 21.5% | 31,539 | 1062.5% | 15.0% |
21 | Mississippi | 267,943 | 21.1% | 23,697 | 1144.6% | 17.5% |
22 | Ohio | 1,218,841 | 21.1% | 46,594 | 368.7% | 16.4% |
23 | Delaware | 96,194 | 19.9% | 5,437 | 1173.3% | 16.8% |
24 | Maine | 136,079 | 19.9% | 846 | 60.2% | 15.7% |
25 | Indiana | 673,220 | 19.8% | 30,311 | 1408.8% | 15.0% |
26 | Montana | 100,934 | 19.2% | 3,384 | 442.3% | 16.3% |
27 | Vermont | 64,990 | 18.9% | 2,098 | 297.3% | 15.0% |
28 | West Virginia | 147,691 | 18.7% | 4,853 | 514.3% | 16.3% |
29 | Connecticut | 353,836 | 18.7% | 26,013 | 907.5% | 14.8% |
30 | North Carolina | 936,545 | 18.5% | 45,974 | 1257.8% | 15.5% |
31 | Oregon | 383,659 | 18.3% | 22,281 | 583.9% | 15.5% |
32 | Iowa | 312,234 | 18.2% | 13,040 | 565.6% | 14.2% |
33 | Missouri | 557,799 | 18.2% | 26,029 | 687.8% | 15.7% |
34 | Wisconsin | 550,576 | 17.7% | 31,314 | 792.1% | 15.6% |
35 | Kansas | 253,447 | 17.1% | 11,779 | 740.2% | 14.7% |
36 | North Dakota | 67,251 | 16.9% | 3,031 | 910.3% | 15.6% |
37 | Virginia | 725,195 | 16.6% | 45,788 | 1631.8% | 14.0% |
38 | Arizona | 580,559 | 16.5% | 32,295 | 654.6% | 15.4% |
39 | Maryland | 528,334 | 16.3% | 34,304 | 1164.9% | 13.9% |
40 | Illinois | 1,039,031 | 16.1% | 72,816 | 886.4% | 15.6% |
41 | Arkansas | 213,915 | 15.8% | 10,662 | 528.3% | 15.3% |
42 | Tennessee | 519,815 | 15.7% | 28,692 | 1026.9% | 15.8% |
43 | Idaho | 136,010 | 15.7% | 5,475 | 656.2% | 14.0% |
44 | New Mexico | 146,207 | 15.4% | 7,948 | 913.8% | 16.2% |
45 | Texas | 2,075,394 | 14.8% | 134,381 | 873.3% | 15.2% |
46 | Colorado | 408,889 | 13.1% | 17,958 | 1010.6% | 14.1% |
47 | Wyoming | 37,266 | 12.9% | 1,911 | 823.2% | 16.3% |
48 | Nebraska | 123,030 | 12.0% | 5,923 | 800.2% | 15.1% |
49 | South Dakota | 46,726 | 10.2% | 3,806 | 2220.7% | 15.8% |
50 | Utah | 159,131 | 10.0% | 6,275 | 598.8% | 14.8% |