The coronavirus pandemic has been destructive to U.S. jobs, forcing over 44 million workers into unemployment since March 16. Millions of businesses closed as customers sheltered in place, forcing layoffs borne from a lack of revenue. Even though all states have now started to reopen, the employment situation continues to worsen. This week, there were over 1.5 million new unemployment claims nationwide, compared to 222,000 during the same week last year. However, not all states have experienced the same levels of unemployment due to the pandemic.

 

 

 

Most Affected States Last Week

Least Affected States Last Week

1. Oklahoma

42. Missouri

2. Florida

43. Arkansas

3. Georgia

44. Wyoming

4. Mississippi

45. Rhode Island

5. Kentucky

46. Iowa

6. New Hampshire

47. South Dakota

7. Maryland

48. Montana

8. Louisiana

49. Idaho

9. Virginia

50. Pennsylvania

10. North Carolina

51. New Jersey

To identify which states’ workforces have been hurt the most by COVID-19, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia based on increases in unemployment claims during the latest week for which we have data (June 1) and overall since the beginning of the coronavirus crisis (March 16). WalletHub used this data to rank the most impacted states for both periods.

To see how unemployment has been affected at the city level, check out WalletHub’s report on the Cities with the Biggest Increases in Unemployment Rates.