Is Your State's Unemployment System in Danger?
by Olga Pierce, ProPublica - June 3, 2009
Nov. 3: The map and chart have been updated.
As part of our investigation into unemployment insurance, here's a look at how individual state systems compare. Thanks to a historical compromise, each state has its own unemployment insurance system, and they come in 51 different flavors -- one for each state and Washington, D.C. (Puerto Rice and the Virgin Islands technically make it 53.)
How does your state's unemployment insurance system stack up? Is it about to go bankrupt? Is it bankrupt already? States with negative balances are in red. Pink states may have to borrow soon. Read about the states' policies that fed the current crisis.
Are your benefits below average? Roll over a state to see information on its benefits.
Is expected to borrow money soon
Is adequately funded
| State | Unemployment Rate | Average Weekly Benefit Amount |
Percent of Unemployed Receiving Benefits |
Trust Fund Balance | Borrowed Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 10.7% | $208.03 | 38.15% | $112,446,000 | $67,392,286.20 |
| Alaska | 8.4% | $234.75 | 49.66% | $324,540,000 | $0 |
| Arizona | 9.1% | $221.39 | 42.22% | $599,156,000 | $0 |
| Arkansas | 7.1% | $284.72 | 65.44% | $4,899,000 | $145,754,513.21 |
| California | 12.2% | $316.89 | 39.80% | $118,013,000 | $4,698,681,588.44 |
| Colorado | 7% | $362.21 | 36.81% | $365,067,000 | $0 |
| Connecticut | 8.4% | $338.86 | 55.85% | $243,629,000 | $58,416,788.65 |
| Delaware | 8.3% | $265.48 | 47.28% | $81,652,000 | $0 |
| District of Columbia | 11.4% | $305.95 | 20.18% | $413,523,000 | $0 |
| Florida | 11% | $239.70 | 32.85% | $449,475,000 | $567,100,000.00 |
| Georgia | 10.1% | $285.26 | 34.07% | $586,334,000 | $0 |
| Hawaii | 7.2% | $425.82 | 44.49% | $281,242,000 | $0 |
| Idaho | 8.8% | $278.80 | 63.89% | $2,753,000 | $75,249,625.22 |
| Illinois | 10.5% | $345.81 | 47.39% | $183,115,000 | $700,763,378.83 |
| Indiana | 9.6% | $310.74 | 43.92% | $19,732,000 | $1,310,882,141.54 |
| Iowa | 6.7% | $319.69 | 58.73% | $549,964,000 | $0 |
| Kansas | 6.9% | $366.51 | 50.73% | $413,720,000 | $0 |
| Kentucky | 10.9% | $311.83 | 37.93% | $7,935,000 | $489,100,000.00 |
| Louisiana | 7.4% | $232.99 | 38.65% | $1,380,909,000 | $0 |
| Maine | 8.5% | $284.03 | 40.97% | $360,883,000 | $0 |
| Maryland | 7.2% | $313.04 | 41.93% | $493,807,000 | $0 |
| Massachusetts | 9.3% | $427.20 | 54.03% | $778,267,000 | $0 |
| Michigan | 15.3% | $312.02 | 44.32% | $236,929,000 | $2,840,260,000.00 |
| Minnesota | 7.3% | $359.50 | 48.00% | $110,754,000 | $168,264,220.01 |
| Mississippi | 9.2% | $196.61 | 38.57% | $586,818,000 | $0 |
| Missouri | 9.5% | $259.18 | 38.85% | $49,130,000 | $350,818,745.20 |
| Montana | 6.7% | $280.71 | 66.12% | $194,736,000 | $0 |
| Nebraska | 4.9% | $249.73 | 42.58% | $242,194,000 | $0 |
| Nevada | 13.3% | $317.91 | 50.70% | $285,227,000 | $10,007,065.43 |
| New Hampshire | 7.2% | $280.24 | 51.14% | $80,557,000 | $0 |
| New Jersey | 9.8% | $401.87 | 53.41% | $97,461,000 | $787,955,333.38 |
| New Mexico | 7.7% | $295.08 | 51.69% | $392,713,000 | $0 |
| New York | 8.9% | $317.99 | 47.40% | $510,760,000 | $1,642,289,773.00 |
| North Carolina | 10.8% | $309.22 | 43.78% | $19,243,000 | $1,306,395,933.83 |
| North Dakota | 4.2% | $310.67 | 41.88% | $105,370,000 | $0 |
| Ohio | 10.1% | $315.33 | 41.92% | $87,656,000 | $1,463,837,799.00 |
| Oklahoma | 6.7% | $301.63 | 41.27% | $716,959,000 | $0 |
| Oregon | 11.5% | $316.50 | 50.71% | $1,463,314,000 | $0 |
| Pennsylvania | 8.8% | $356.18 | 68.58% | $350,046,000 | $1,416,322,840.01 |
| Rhode Island | 13% | $383.88 | 35.13% | $17,772,000 | $107,674,569.00 |
| South Carolina | 11.6% | $255.57 | 39.06% | $27,476,000 | $610,681,164.00 |
| South Dakota | 4.8% | $253.72 | 27.85% | $9,957,000 | $1,079,851.39 |
| Tennessee | 10.5% | $229.03 | 35.61% | $162,881,000 | $0 |
| Texas | 8.2% | $330.08 | 33.77% | $299,448,000 | $806,892,176.13 |
| Utah | 6.2% | $322.40 | 51.54% | $640,429,000 | $0 |
| Vermont | 6.7% | $308.64 | 56.44% | $75,275,000 | $0 |
| Virginia | 6.7% | $313.81 | 31.74% | $363,455,000 | $3,636,200.00 |
| Washington | 9.3% | $401.71 | 45.50% | $3,398,783,000 | $0 |
| West Virginia | 8.9% | $277.42 | 42.90% | $193,469,000 | $0 |
| Wisconsin | 8.3% | $290.54 | 60.75% | $27,372,000 | $721,898,731.37 |
| Wyoming | 6.8% | $354.79 | 63.58% | $206,009,000 | $0 |
Sources: Local Area Unemployment Statistics, Bureau of Labor Statistics, April 2009; First Quarter, 2009, Department of Labor Unemployment Insurance Data Summary; Unemployment Insurance Budget, Trust Fund Loans, Department of Labor; National Association of State Workforce Agencies
