Weekly Texas initial unemployment claims fall below six figures

​​​​​​​COLLEGE STATION – In the week ending June 6, over 80,700 initial unemployment insurance claims were filed in Texas. This is the first time initial unemployment​ claims were below six figures since March.​

Total claims since March 21 is 2.4 million,​​ according to data from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). 

Unemployment claims fell for the seventh straight week after rebounding on April 18.

Although the number of initial claims continues to fall steadily, numbers are still worrisome. The historical average of Texas’ initial unemployment claims from January 3, 1987, to March 14, 2020, is 15,993. Last week’s numbers are five times greater than that average. 

Using data from the DOL and the Employment and Training Administration, the Center estimates that from March 21 to May 30 nearly 519,500 seasonally adjusted claims were filed in Dallas-Fort Worth. Houston followed closely with 514,000 claims. 

While DFW registers the largest accumulated number of initial unemployment claims during the past 11 weeks, the Houston MSA has registered the highest number of weekly claims since April 18. 

In San Antonio and Austin, an estimated 163,000 and 148,700 claims were filed during that time, respectively. 

​Along the border, an estimated 56,900, 55,000, 25,300, and 16,000 claims were filed in McAllen, El Paso, Brownsville, and Laredo, respectively. ​

​Brownsville registered an increase in unemployment claims for the second straight week.     ​

​​​From March 21 to May 30, nearly 11,600 unemployment claims were filed in College Station-Bryan.

Nationwide, nearly 44.2​ million unemployment claims have been filed in the past 12 weeks.

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