TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Florida’s economy has been the hardest hit by unemployment among the United States, according to a new study.
A new report by WalletHub shows unemployment data from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The data was analyzed and ranked based on increases in unemployment claims overall since the beginning of closures on March 16 and during the week of May 18.
Florida saw the highest increase in the country in unemployment claims since January, the study found. During the week of Jan. 1, Florida’s Department of Economic Opportunity processed 4,618 unemployment claims. That increased by 3,662.04 percent by May 18 when the state processed 173,731 claims.
Florida was also the second most impacted state last week. The state saw 2,389,951 unemployment claims between the week of March 16 and May 18. During the same time frame last year, the state only processed 60,337 unemployment claims. That’s a 3,961 percent increase since the pandemic started.
Overall, Florida ranked No. 4 behind Georgia, New Hampshire and Kentucky for its year-to-year increase in claims.
More than 40 million Americans nationwide have found themselves out of a job since the economy took a downturn the week of March 16. The national unemployment rate is currently at a record-breaking 14.5 percent.
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