How Many Weeks of Unemployment do I get?

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If you're wondering just how many weeks of unemployment you're eligible for, the people at the center of budget and policy on priorities produced this interesting chart that shows that much of the nation is able to receive 99 weeks of unemployment checks.

Many states such as Florida, California, Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, North Carolina, Ohio and Illinois get the full 99 weeks of payments. Other states such as Wisconsin, Texas and New York get 93 weeks of unemployment benefits; while the dakotas and Nebraska get the least---60 weeks (which really isn't all that bad because it's still over a year of subsidies).

13 States won't get Tier 3 unemployment benefits

According to the San Francisco Gate there are some states that have laws on the books that prevent them from being able to give the jobless an additional 20 weeks of unemployment insurance benefits that were included in the Obama stimulus package.

According to the story:

The states are Alabama, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Tennessee.

These 10 States have the Highest Rates of Unemployment

The Bureau of Labor Statistics released data today for the January, 2009 unemployment rates by state... These 11 states have the dubious distinction of having the highest unemployment rates in the U.S.

1. Michigan ---11.6%
2. South Carolina -- 10.4%
3. Rhode Island -- 10.3%
   
4. California--10.1%
5. Oregon -- 9.9%
   
6. North Carolina --9.7%
7. Nevada -- 9.4%
   
8. Indiana -- 9.2%
9. Ohio -- 8.8%
   
10. Florida -- 8.6%
11. Georgia -- 8.6%
    
12. Tennessee -- 8.6%

To compound the issues 23 states experienced at least a 1 percentage point increase in unemployment in one month---And EVERY STATE experienced an increase in unemployment (December 2008 vs. January 2009)---Clearly the unemployment trend is geographically broad and deep.

Georgia's Unemployment Rate Reaches a Record High--8.6&

According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution the unemployment rate in Georgia reached 8.6% in January 2009---This is up considerably from the 4.9% in January 2008. This is a record high number--surpassing the 8.3% unemployment rate seen in Georgia during the early 1980's recession---And considering that the State's population has significantly grown, it means that the number of unemployed is far greater than what was seen in the 1980's.

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These 15 states have the highest rates of unemployment

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According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics these 15 states had the highest levels of unemployment in the United States during December 2008. Each of these states also had levels of unemployment that exceed the US average unemployment rate in December, 2008 (7.2%).

They were:

• Michigan 10.6%
• Rhode Island 10.0%
• South Carolina 9.5%
• California 9.3%
• Nevada 9.1%
• Oregon 9.0%
• Washington DC 8.8%
• North Carolina 8.7%
• Florida 8.1%
• Georgia 8.1%
• Mississippi 8.0%
• Tennessee 7.9%
• Kentucky 7.8%
• Ohio 7.8%
• Illinois 7.6%
  

15 States see 15%++ surge in food stamp demand

Earlier I blogged about the increase in food stamp usage in California, well things aren't that much better in the rest of the United States.

According to the USDA there are 15 states that experienced a 15%++ uptick in the number of households that receive food stamps (comparing October 2008 to October 2007).


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Some of the states with the highest populations (and highest unemployment rates) also saw big increases in the number of people on food stamps. Notably, Texas (up 30%), Florida(up 26%), California (up 16%) and New York (up 16%).

You should expect that when new data is released showing December 2008 vs. December 2007, there will be even more states on this list.

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Which States are eligable for Tier 2 Unemployment Benefits

According to this site as of 12/28/2008, there are 22 states that are eligible for extended unemployment insurance benefits and a handful of others that are about to have UIC benefits begin. The Tier 2 benefits come when there has been an unemployment rate of over 6% for 3 months.

Specifically, the states which currently have Tier 2 unemployment insurance benefits are:

• Alaska
• California
• Connecticut
• District of Columbia
• Florida
• Georgia
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Kentucky
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• Nevada
• North Carolina
• Ohio
• Oregon
• Puerto Rico
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• Tennessee
• Washington

Additionally, Arizona, New Jersey and the US Virgin Islands will have Tier 2 benefits beginning in 2009

Georgia sees 174% increase in unemployment insurance filings

From the Atlanta Business Chronicle

State Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond is calling a 174 percent increase in December unemployment claims “stunning and sobering.”

The Georgia Department of Labor reported Thursday 128,625 laid-off workers filed first-time claims for state unemployment insurance benefits in December.

“The December claims report confirms the severity of this economic downturn and increases the probability that the current recession will be long and difficult,” Thurmond said.

The metros with the highest percentage of increase in claims were Rome (up 351 percent), Dalton (up 349 percent) and Gainesville (up 216 percent).

Most of the state initial claims were filed by laid-off workers in the manufacturing, construction, and trade industries, along with administrative and support services, including temporary employment agencies.

The Georgia Department of Labor also processed 19,160 first-time claims for federal extended unemployment benefits, bringing the total to 111,384 since the federal program triggered in Georgia in July 2008. Federal extended benefits are available to jobless workers who have exhausted regular state unemployment compensation.

Increase in Unemployment by County

Several areas were hit the hardest during the last 4 years as unemployment rates throughout the United States increased. California, Florida, Arizona, Georgia (States with a big housing bubble run-up) are experiencing higher levels of unemployment, as are some of the midwestern states--Michigan, Illinois, Minnesota.

You can expect the unemployment insurance programs in these hard hit states to be stressed for the next few years.

Maximum Unemployment Insurance Benefit by State

Today Business Week published a slide show that shows the Maximum Unemployment Insurance Benefit by state. I decided to show the "Top-10" and "Bottom-10" states, according to Business Week.

*Note---Some States had a range for "Maximum Benefits", but most had a single value. Massachusetts for example was shown as "$600 - $900/week"---I have plotted, the high end of the range. I believe that some states may pay more to people with families than to single workers with no dependents.

The 20 States with the highest unemployment rates in November 2008

1. In November 2008, there were 20 states with unemployment rates greater than 5%. And 9 states (+ the District of Columbia) have unemployment rates greater than the national average. In November 2008, there were 20 states with unemployment rates greater than 5%. And 9 states (+ the District of Columbia) have unemployment rates greater than the national average.

The States with the highest unemployment rates in November were:

• Michigan--9.6%
• Rhode Island--9.3%
• California--8.4%
• South Carolina--8.4%
• Oregon--8.1%
• Washington DC--8.0%
• Nevada--8.0%
• North Carolina--7.9%
• Georgia--7.5%
• Florida--7.3%
• New York--6.1%
• Massachusetts--5.9%
• Colorado--5.8%
• Arkansas--5.7%
• Idaho--5.7%
• Texas--5.7%
• Vermont--5.7%
• Delaware--5.6%
• Wisconsin--5.6%
• Louisiana--5.3%
• Maryland--5.3%
  

Georgia's Initial Jobless Claims and Unemployment Rate Continue to climb higher

Today news comes out of Georgia that Initial jobless claims for November 2008 were 55% higher than what was experienced in November 2007. A total of 74,480 claims were filed last month, vs. 72,627 in October, 2008 and 48,150 in November 2007.

Needless to say, this should cause Georgia's unemployment rate for November, 2008 to be higher than the 7.0% that it had in October, 2008.