U.S. Unemployment Claims Decline to 227,000

Initial unemployment claims decreased to 227,000, fell 5,000 In the week ending February 7, 2026, from the previous week's revised total of 232,000. The four-week moving average was up 219,500, an increase of 7,000. The insured unemployment rate remained at 1.2%, with 1,862,000 people receiving benefits as of January 31, showing a slight uptick of 21,000 from the prior week. Despite the overall drop in claims, the number of insured unemployment claims rose to 2,214,205, marking an increase of 3,455. The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending January 24 were in Rhode Island (2.9), New Jersey (2.8), Massachusetts (2.7).