---
title: "Initial Unemployment Claims (SA)"
slug: initial-unemployment-claims-sa
summary: "Initial jobless claims were little changed at 194,000 in the week ending Oct 24, 2026"
category: "Jobs"
unit: count
frequency: weekly
direction: higher_is_worse
latest_value: 194000.0
latest_period: "2026-10-24"
trend: stable
last_updated: "2026-10-29T00:00:00Z"
source: "U.S. Department of Labor data retrieved via FRED"
source_url: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/ICSA
canonical_html: https://americandefault.org/indicators/initial-unemployment-claims-sa/
citation_apa: "Kilburn, R. (2026). Initial Unemployment Claims (SA) [Data set]. American Default Research. https://americandefault.org/indicators/initial-unemployment-claims-sa/"
citation_chicago: "Kilburn, Ross. 2026. \"Initial Unemployment Claims (SA).\" American Default Research. https://americandefault.org/indicators/initial-unemployment-claims-sa/."
citation_mla: "Kilburn, Ross. \"Initial Unemployment Claims (SA).\" American Default Research, 2026, americandefault.org/indicators/initial-unemployment-claims-sa/."
---

# Initial Unemployment Claims (SA)

> Initial jobless claims were little changed at 194,000 in the week ending Oct 24, 2026

## Current Reading

As of the week ending Oct 24, 2026, Initial Unemployment Claims (SA) is **194,000** (stable).

initial claims for state jobless benefits, down from 221,000 a year earlier

## What Changed

- Initial jobless claims were little changed at 194,000 in the week ending Oct 24, 2026, within the size of a routine revision.
- Down 27,000 from the same week a year earlier.

## Recent Values

| Period | Value |
|--------|-------|
| 2026-10-24 | 194K |
| 2026-10-17 | 195K |
| 2026-10-10 | 200K |
| 2026-10-03 | 198K |
| 2026-09-26 | 199K |
| 2026-09-19 | 198K |
| 2026-09-12 | 198K |
| 2026-09-05 | 207K |
| 2026-08-29 | 207K |
| 2026-08-22 | 204K |
| 2026-08-15 | 207K |
| 2026-08-08 | 212K |

## Historical Context

- Peak since 1967: **6.14 million** in April 2020
- Low since 1967: **162,000** in November 1968
- Pre-pandemic average (2015-01 – 2019-12): **244,310**
- Post-pandemic average (2020-01 – 2024-12): **495,188**

## Methodology

This indicator carries weekly observations and is interpreted as higher values indicate worse household conditions. Source: U.S. Department of Labor data retrieved via FRED.
Automation: collected automatically on the daily refresh pipeline, with no hand entry.

## Source

U.S. Department of Labor data retrieved via FRED — [https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/ICSA](https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/ICSA)

Data retrieved: 2026-10-29T00:00:00Z

## Related Indicators

- [continued-unemployment-claims-sa](https://americandefault.org/indicators/continued-unemployment-claims-sa/)
- [pink-slips](https://americandefault.org/indicators/pink-slips/)
- [unemployment-rate](https://americandefault.org/indicators/unemployment-rate/)

## Machine-Readable Endpoints

- HTML page: https://americandefault.org/indicators/initial-unemployment-claims-sa/
- JSON: https://americandefault.org/api/indicators/initial-unemployment-claims-sa.json
- CSV: https://americandefault.org/api/downloads/initial-unemployment-claims-sa.csv
- BibTeX: https://americandefault.org/citations/initial-unemployment-claims-sa.bib
- RIS: https://americandefault.org/citations/initial-unemployment-claims-sa.ris

## Citation

**APA 7th**

    Kilburn, R. (2026). Initial Unemployment Claims (SA) [Data set]. American Default Research. https://americandefault.org/indicators/initial-unemployment-claims-sa/

**Chicago (author-date)**

    Kilburn, Ross. 2026. "Initial Unemployment Claims (SA)." American Default Research. https://americandefault.org/indicators/initial-unemployment-claims-sa/.

**MLA 9th**

    Kilburn, Ross. "Initial Unemployment Claims (SA)." American Default Research, 2026, americandefault.org/indicators/initial-unemployment-claims-sa/.

Use **American Default Research** as the institutional name in source lists, bibliographies, and press citations. **American Default** is the brand and URL form. **American Distress Index (ADI)** is the product name for the national composite score.