US Jobless Claims Fall to 215,000 in Week Ended May 23

US Jobless Claims Edge Up to 215,000 in Week Ended May 23

The U.S. Department of Labor reported that initial state jobless benefit claims for the week ended May 23, 2026, came in at 215,000 on a seasonally adjusted basis, slightly above the prior week's revised figure of 210,000.

Four-Week Average and Continued Claims

The four-week moving average stood at 209,000. Continued claims for the week ended May 16 were 1,786,000, with the insured unemployment rate remaining unchanged at 1.2%.

Market Expectations and Revisions

Economists polled by Reuters had forecast initial claims at 211,000 and continued claims at 1.78 million. Previous estimates were revised: initial claims for the week ended May 16 were revised up to 210,000 from 209,000, while the week ended May 9 remained at 212,000.

Unadjusted Data

On an unadjusted basis, initial claims for the week ended May 23 totaled 191,134, and continued claims for the week ended May 16 were 1,659,541.