Initial Jobless Claims
US Initial Unemployment Claims — Historical Chart
199,000
▼ 9.13% YoYAug 2026
All-Time High
6,137,000
All-Time Low
162,000
Data Since
1967
Source: FRED / DOLShaded = NBER recessions
Weekly initial unemployment insurance claims — the most timely labor market indicator available. A sharp spike above 300K+ historically signals recession. The COVID spike to 6.9M in April 2020 is the most extreme reading in history by a factor of 10.