Virginia Unemployment Claims Data Demographics...The week of July 12th – th18th marks the 18 week of the COVID-19 crisis in the Commonwealth. This week, there were 37,946 initial

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Virginia Unemployment Claims Data Demographics Week Ending July 18, 2020

Prepared by EIA/VEC

The week of July 12th – 18th marks the 18th week of the COVID-19 crisis in the

Commonwealth. This week, there were 37,946 initial unemployment benefit claims, a 17.5%

increase from the week prior. The Commonwealth has now seen an increase in initial claims in

three of the last four weeks, something that has not happened since the early weeks of the crisis.

The following analysis was completed using intrastate and interstate claims data, but not agent

claims1. Therefore, the totals below will not match the state totals when aggregated.

Of the individuals who filed an initial claim this week, 55.1% identified as male and

44.9% identified as female, a 0.6 percentage point change from the week prior. This is the fourth

consecutive week where male claimants have made up the majority of the claims for the week

after 14 weeks of females in the majority. According to a BLS survey, roughly 53.0% of

Virginia’s workforce is male and 47.0% is female. Since the COVID-19 crisis began in the week

ending March 21st, female filers have accounted for 55.0% of initial claims and male filers just

45.0%. This discrepancy leads us to believe that, as a whole, female workers have been more

harshly impacted by the crisis than male workers. Prior to the COVID-19 crisis, the gender

breakdown of unemployment claims more closely mirrored the BLS estimates for gender in the

workforce.

1 When a participant is enrolled, they might receive benefits from a different location than that which is providing

them with assistance. Those intermediary claims are considered agent claims.

55.1%

44.9%

7/12 - 7/18 Claims by Gender

Male Female

54.5%

45.5%

7/5 - 7/11 Claims by Gender

Male Female

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Grouping initial claimants into age cohorts allows us to analyze the impact of the

COVID-19 crisis on different segments of the Commonwealth’s workforce. This week 23.7% of

initial claims were filed by workers ages 16-24 and 25.4% by workers 25-34. The share of claims

filed by these younger workers was 1.5 percentage points lower than the week before. Since the

crisis began in the week ending March 21st, workers in these younger two cohorts have

accounted for 45.5% of all initial claims, despite making up just 33.8% of Virginia’s workforce

according to the BLS. On the other hand, workers in the next two cohorts, ages 35-44 and 45-54,

make up 41.0% of Virginia’s workforce while accounting for just 34.6% of initial claims since

the beginning of the crisis. These disparities lead us to believer that younger workers, ages 16-

34, have been more negatively affected by the crisis than older workers, ages 35-54.

23.7%

25.4%

18.5%

14.5%

10.6%

5.5%1.7%

7/12 - 7/18 Claims by Age

16-24

25-34

35-44

45-54

55-64

65+

Other

24.8%

25.8%18.8%

14.2%

10.3%

4.5% 1.6%

7/5 - 7/11 Claims by Age

16-24

25-34

35-44

45-54

55-64

65+

Other

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The occupation code of workers filing initial claims is another important metric to look

into. This gives us a general idea of the kinds of jobs workers are being laid off from. Overall the

shares of initial claims filed by different two-digit classifications did not change much compared

to the previous week. The largest changes came from Sales and Related Occupations (41-0000)

and Personal Care and Service Occupations (39-0000), which saw a 1.2 percentage point and

0.9 percentage point increase in their share of initial claims respectively. Sales and Related

Occupations (41-0000) was also the two-digit classification with the most filings this week at

4,256 initial claims, or 11.8% of the total initial claims for the week. Please note that the SOC

codes are self-reported. To learn more about SOC codes or classifications visit

https://www.onetonline.org/.

SOC Code Number of Claims Change from the previous

week Percentage of Initial Claims

11-0000 1,978 226 5.47%

13-0000 784 157 2.17%

15-0000 534 -48 1.48%

17-0000 483 74 1.34%

19-0000 220 26 0.61%

21-0000 308 33 0.85%

23-0000 120 -1 0.33%

25-0000 732 18 2.03%

27-0000 1,137 95 3.15%

29-0000 694 78 1.92%

31-0000 914 26 2.53%

33-0000 398 13 1.10%

35-0000 2,831 522 7.83%

37-0000 2,194 397 6.07%

39-0000 3,851 848 10.65%

41-0000 4,144 953 11.46%

43-0000 3,093 344 8.56%

45-0000 160 29 0.44%

47-0000 2,397 243 6.63%

49-0000 1,297 158 3.59%

51-0000 1,720 111 4.76%

53-0000 2,678 301 7.41%

55-0000 27 10 0.07%

Unknown 3,453 1,478 9.55% **This sample includes intrastate and interstate claims data, but not agent claims, totals will not equal reported state

totals when aggregated.

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Another important metric to analyze is the race of initial claimants. Over the last week,

36.7% of filers have identified as white, a decrease of 0.2 percentage points from the week prior.

Additionally, 48.7% identified as black, an increase of 0.4 percentage points. Since the beginning

of the crisis, in the week ending March 21st, 51.0% of claimants have identified as white and

30.5% of claimants have identified as black.

36.7%

48.7%

0.5%

2.8%0.6%

10.7%

7/12 - 7/18 Claims by Race

White

Black

American Indian

Asian Pacific

NW-Other

Unknown

36.9%

48.3%

0.5%

3.6% 0.5%

10.1%

7/5 - 7/11 Claims by Race

White

Black

American Indian

Asian Pacific

NW-Other

Unknown

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The ethnicity of initial claimants is another factor that’s important to explore. According

to the Census Bureau, approximately 9.6% of Virginians identify as either Hispanic or Latino.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, 9.5% of initial claimants have also self-identified as

Hispanic or Latino including 6.4% of claimants this week. Please note that the percentages above

are calculated only from claimants who report their ethnicity and may be subject to revisions in

the future.

The citizenship status of initial claimants is also an important metric to examine.

According to an American Community Survey report, approximately 94.2% of Virginian’s are

citizens, either through birth or naturalization, and 5.8% are non-citizens. Throughout the crisis

roughly 7.5% of all initial claimants have indicated that they are non-citizens. The share of non-

citizen claimants peaked in the week ending April 18th with 9.5% of initial claimants that week

identifying as non-citizens. In the weeks since, the share of non-citizen claimants has decreased

and this week hit a new low of just 2.3% of claimants, 5.2 percentage points lower than the share

throughout the whole crisis.

Citizenship Status

Number of Claims

Change from the previous week

Percentage of Initial Claims

Percentage of Population (ACS)

Citizen 35,320 6,136 97.71% 94.23%

Non-citizen 827 -45 2.29% 5.77%

**This sample includes intrastate and interstate claims data, but not agent claims, totals will not equal reported state


Not Hispanic

93.6%

Hispanic6.4%

7/12 - 7/18 Claims by Ethnicity

Not Hispanic

93.3%

Hispanic6.7%

7/5 - 7/11 Claims by Ethnicity

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The initial claimant’s highest level of education attained is another useful data point to

look into. This week 53.1% of initial filers reported having a high school diploma, 1.5

percentage points higher than the week prior. The share of claimants who reported having at least

some college experience or an associate’s degree fell 0.8 percentage points to 18.5% and the

share of claimants with bachelor’s degree fell 0.1 percentage points to 10.2%.

1.6%

11.8%

53.1%

18.5%

10.2%

0.0%

2.9%

1.8%

7/12 - 7/18 Claims by Education Level

Some School

Some High School

High School Diploma

Some College / AssociatesDegree

Bachelors Degree

Some Graduate School

Post Graduate Degree

1.5%

12.1%

51.6%

19.3%

10.3%

0.0%

3.5%

1.7%

7/5 - 7/11 Claims by Education Level

Some School

Some High School

High School Diploma

Some College / AssociatesDegree

Bachelors Degree

Some Graduate School

Post Graduate Degree

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Finally, we need to look at the counties and independent cities where individuals are

filing initial claims. Looking strictly at the number of claims, Norfolk City had the most filings

with 2,833 initial claims. Fairfax County and Virginia Beach City followed with 2,778 and 2,287

initial claims respectively. These results are not surprising as they are all localities with large

populations and high levels of employment. Out of the 133 counties and independent cities

throughout the Commonwealth, 39 localities saw either no change or a decrease in initial claims

compared to the previous week. The largest change, however, came from Norfolk City which

saw an additional 610 claims than in the week prior.

Although the total number of claims filed is important, it does not provide us with enough

detail about the extent to which each locality has been affected by the COVID-19 crisis. Instead

we should look at the total number of claims as a percentage of the labor force in that area. This

helps account for differences in populations sizes between localities and gives us a better

comparison of the effects felt in each area. By this metric Petersburg City was the most heavily

affected area with 5.6% of its labor force filing an initial claim. Franklin City and Portsmouth

City both followed with 3.9% and 3.8% of their respective labor forces filing an initial claim this

week.

County/City Number of

Claims Change from the previous week

Percentage of Initial Claims

Claims as a percentage of

labor force

Accomack County 127 5 0.35% 0.77%

Albemarle County 178 24 0.49% 0.36%

Alexandria City 749 114 2.07% 0.92%

Alleghany County 26 8 0.07% 0.34%

Amelia County 38 14 0.11% 0.51%

Amherst County 75 17 0.21% 0.56%

Appomattox County 34 0 0.09% 0.66%

Arlington County 784 191 2.17% 0.55%

Augusta County 78 9 0.22% 0.18%

Bath County 8 4 0.02% 0.55%

Bedford County 149 -5 0.41% 0.48%

Bland County 8 -4 0.02% 0.28%

Botetourt County 69 29 0.19% 0.48%

Bristol City 53 -5 0.15% 0.87%

Brunswick County 83 23 0.23% 1.14%

Buchanan County 66 -1 0.18% 0.63%

Buckingham County 29 2 0.08% 0.30%

Buena Vista City 20 -2 0.06% 0.35%

Campbell County 94 38 0.26% 0.39%

Caroline County 84 18 0.23% 0.57%

Carroll County 115 17 0.32% 1.10%

Charles City County 17 0 0.05% 0.48%

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Charlotte County 27 -12 0.07% 0.85%

Charlottesville City 148 14 0.41% 0.75%

Chesapeake City 1,325 179 3.67% 1.42%

Chesterfield County 1,091 219 3.02% 0.72%

Clarke County 26 12 0.07% 0.22%

Colonial Heights City 130 20 0.36% 1.38%

Covington City 73 50 0.20% 1.97%

Craig County 6 1 0.02% 0.26%

Culpeper County 121 45 0.33% 0.46%

Cumberland County 17 -10 0.05% 0.45%

Danville City 414 56 1.15% 2.30%

Dickenson County 29 -5 0.08% 0.60%

Dinwiddie County 45 0 0.12% 0.35%

Emporia City 19 10 0.05% 0.70%

Essex County 32 -2 0.09% 0.74%

Fairfax City 21 0 0.06% 0.17%

Fairfax County 2,778 333 7.69% 0.47%

Falls Church City 40 1 0.11% 0.49%

Fauquier County 115 25 0.32% 0.34%

Floyd County 21 -7 0.06% 0.33%

Fluvanna County 34 0 0.09% 0.45%

Franklin City 138 46 0.38% 4.12%

Franklin County 145 9 0.40% 0.63%

Frederick County 112 5 0.31% 0.25%

Fredericksburg City 124 4 0.34% 0.97%

Galax City 5 2 0.01% 0.20%

Giles County 39 3 0.11% 0.67%

Gloucester County 112 42 0.31% 0.55%

Goochland County 40 20 0.11% 0.25%

Grayson County 72 23 0.20% 0.75%

Greene County 36 11 0.10% 0.30%

Greensville County 96 8 0.27% 2.89%

Halifax County 78 11 0.22% 0.76%

Hampton City 1,070 195 2.96% 1.94%

Hanover County 190 6 0.53% 0.36%

Harrisonburg City 120 17 0.33% 0.61%

Henrico County 1,078 98 2.98% 0.70%

Henry County 312 34 0.86% 1.44%

Highland County 4 0 0.01% 0.16%

Hopewell City 271 38 0.75% 2.76%

Isle of Wight County 88 13 0.24% 0.53%

James City County 191 25 0.53% 0.74%

King and Queen County 21 7 0.06% 0.46%

King George County 46 3 0.13% 0.35%

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King William County 39 9 0.11% 0.47%

Lancaster County 25 3 0.07% 0.79%

Lee County 36 3 0.10% 0.66%

Lexington City 1 0 0.00% 0.05%

Loudoun County 635 -32 1.76% 0.33%

Louisa County 67 11 0.19% 0.39%

Lunenburg County 18 -2 0.05% 0.45%

Lynchburg City 355 121 0.98% 1.04%

Madison County 16 5 0.04% 0.24%

Manassas City 105 -2 0.29% 0.59%

Manassas Park City 1 1 0.00% 0.03%

Martinsville City 23 6 0.06% 0.43%

Mathews County 14 -3 0.04% 0.53%

Mecklenburg County 114 28 0.32% 1.23%

Middlesex County 14 -4 0.04% 0.47%

Montgomery County 144 -1 0.40% 0.38%

Nelson County 48 20 0.13% 0.60%

New Kent County 67 17 0.19% 0.85%

Newport News City 1,398 199 3.87% 1.70%

Norfolk City 2,833 610 7.84% 3.03%

Northampton County 78 42 0.22% 1.04%

Northumberland County 34 -9 0.09% 0.99%

Norton City 17 -1 0.05% 0.74%

Nottoway County 58 19 0.16% 1.04%

Orange County 62 -21 0.17% 0.60%

Page County 52 18 0.14% 0.49%

Patrick County 35 6 0.10% 0.58%

Petersburg City 704 91 1.95% 5.94%

Pittsylvania County 116 -11 0.32% 0.49%

Poquoson City 19 4 0.05% 0.43%

Portsmouth City 1,602 415 4.43% 4.54%

Powhatan County 65 2 0.18% 0.30%

Prince Edward County 84 2 0.23% 0.92%

Prince George County 109 30 0.30% 0.59%

Prince William County 1,435 170 3.97% 0.60%

Pulaski County 55 -20 0.15% 0.67%

Radford City 54 9 0.15% 0.84%

Rappahannock County 10 4 0.03% 0.30%

Richmond City 2,202 463 6.09% 2.14%

Richmond County 31 8 0.09% 1.01%

Roanoke City 512 88 1.42% 1.22%

Roanoke County 180 0 0.50% 0.48%

Rockbridge County 46 13 0.13% 0.34%

Rockingham County 74 -7 0.20% 0.27%

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Russell County 58 -3 0.16% 0.54%

Salem City 109 37 0.30% 0.97%

Scott County 58 27 0.16% 0.50%

Shenandoah County 69 -6 0.19% 0.43%

Smyth County 64 -9 0.18% 0.67%

Southampton County 57 -6 0.16% 0.53%

Spotsylvania County 365 85 1.01% 0.60%

Stafford County 329 29 0.91% 0.62%

Staunton City 77 15 0.21% 0.81%

Suffolk City 648 79 1.79% 1.75%

Surry County 14 -3 0.04% 0.85%

Sussex County 45 -5 0.12% 1.19%

Tazewell County 96 -41 0.27% 0.63%

Virginia Beach City 2,287 522 6.33% 1.31%

Warren County 78 24 0.22% 0.36%

Washington County 120 8 0.33% 0.47%

Waynesboro City 91 33 0.25% 1.00%

Westmoreland County 76 18 0.21% 0.58%

Williamsburg City 16 5 0.04% 0.31%

Winchester City 77 -4 0.21% 0.45%

Wise County 101 6 0.28% 0.87%

Wythe County 94 -28 0.26% 0.81%

York County 99 19 0.27% 0.33%

Other 3,748 940 10.37% N/A **This sample includes intrastate and interstate claims data, but not agent claims, totals will not equal reported state


Virginia Initial Claims for Unemployment Insurance: Citizenship Status

Source: Virginia Employment Commission - EIA

Citizen97.5%

Non-citizen2.5%

6/28 - 7/4

Citizen97.1%

Non-citizen2.9%

7/5 - 7/11

Citizen97.7%

Non-citizen2.3%

7/12 - 7/18

Citizen94.9%

Non-citizen5.1%

6/21 - 6/27

Virginia Initial Claims for Unemployment Insurance: Gender Composition


Male52.3%

Female47.7%

6/28 - 7/4

Male54.5%

Female45.5%

7/5 - 7/11

Male55.1%

Female44.9%

7/12 - 7/18

Male50.6%

Female49.4%

6/21 - 6/27

Virginia Initial Claims for Unemployment Insurance: Education Level


Some School, 13.3%

High School Diploma,

49.7%

Some College19.7%

Bachelors Degree11.0%

Some Graduate School,

0.1%

Post Graduate Degree4.1% Unknown School

2.1%

6/28 - 7/4

Some School, 13.6%


51.6%

Some College19.3%



0.0%


1.7%

7/5 - 7/11

Some School, 13.5%


53.1%

Some College18.5%



0.0%


1.8%

7/12 - 7/18

Some School, 13.7%


47.6%

Some College21.4%



0.1%


1.8%

6/21 - 6/27

Virginia Initial Claims for Unemployment Insurance: Race Composition


White38.2%

Black47.2%

American Indian0.5%

Asian Pacific3.8%

NW-Other0.6%

Unknown9.7%

6/28 - 7/4

White36.9%

Black48.3%

American Indian0.5%

Asian Pacific3.6%

NW-Other0.5%

Unknown10.1%

7/5 - 7/11

White36.7%

Black48.7%

American Indian0.5%

Asian Pacific2.8%

NW-Other0.6%

Unknown10.7%

7/12 - 7/18

White39.8%

Black45.3%

American Indian0.5%

Asian Pacific4.6%

NW-Other0.7%

Unknown9.0%

6/21 - 6/27

Virginia Initial Claims for Unemployment Insurance: Ethnicity Composition

Source: Virginia Employment Commission - EIA *Data self reported and subject to revision

Non-Hispanic

92.6%

Hispanic7.4%

6/28 - 7/4

Non-Hispanic

93.3%

Hispanic6.7%

7/5 - 7/11

Non-Hispanic

93.6%

Hispanic6.4%

7/12 - 7/18

Non-Hispanic

91.1%

Hispanic8.9%

6/21 - 6/27

Virginia Initial Claims for Unemployment Insurance: Age


16-2424.4%

25-3426.3%

35-4418.4%

45-5414.2%

55-6410.5%

65+4.1%

Other2.1%

6/28 - 7/4

16-2424.8%

25-3425.8%

35-4418.8%

45-5414.2%

55-6410.3%

65+4.5%

Other1.6%

7/5 - 7/11

16-2423.7%

25-3425.4%

35-4418.5%

45-5414.5%

55-6410.6%

65+5.5%

Other1.7%

7/12 - 7/18

16-2425.7%

25-3425.7%

35-4418.4%

45-5414.2%

55-6410.2%

65+4.1%

Other1.8%

6/21 - 6/27

Virginia Initial Claims for Unemployment Insurance: Age


0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

90.0%

100.0%

3/1 - 3/7 3/15 - 3/21 3/29 - 4/4 4/12 - 4/18 4/26 - 5/2 5/10 - 5/16 5/24 - 5/30 6/7 - 6/13 6/21 -6/27 7/5 - 7/11

16-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+ Unknown

Virginia Initial Claims for Unemployment Insurance: Ethnicity Composition

Source: Virginia Employment Commission - EIA *Data self reported and subject to revision

0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

70.00%

80.00%

90.00%

100.00%

3/1 - 3/7 3/15 - 3/21 3/29 - 4/4 4/12 - 4/18 4/26 - 5/2 5/10 - 5/16 5/24 - 5/30 6/7 - 6/13 6/21 - 6/27 7/5 - 7/11

Non-Hispanic Hispanic

Virginia Initial Claims for Unemployment Insurance: Race Composition


0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

90.0%

100.0%

3/1 - 3/7 3/15 - 3/21 3/29 - 4/4 4/12 - 4/18 4/26 - 5/2 5/10 - 5/16 5/24 - 5/30 6/7 - 6/13 6/21 - 6/27 7/5 - 7/11

White Black American Indian Asian Pacific NW-Other Unknown

Virginia Initial Claims for Unemployment Insurance: Education Level


0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

90.0%

100.0%

3/1 - 3/7 3/15 - 3/21 3/29 - 4/4 4/12 - 4/18 4/26 - 5/2 5/10 - 5/16 5/24 - 5/30 6/7 - 6/13 6/21 -6/27 7/5 - 7/11

Some School High School Diploma Some College Bachelors Degree Some Graduate School Post Graduate Degree Unknown

Virginia Initial Claims for Unemployment Insurance: Gender Composition


0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

90.0%

100.0%

3/1 - 3/7 3/15 - 3/21 3/29 - 4/4 4/12 - 4/18 4/26 - 5/2 5/10 - 5/16 5/24 - 5/30 6/7 - 6/13 6/21 - 6/27 7/5 - 7/11

Male Female

Virginia Initial Claims for Unemployment Insurance: Citizenship Status


0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

90.0%

100.0%

3/1 - 3/7 3/15 - 3/21 3/29 - 4/4 4/12 - 4/18 4/26 - 5/2 5/10 - 5/16 5/24 - 5/30 6/7 - 6/13 6/21 - 6/27 7/5 - 7/11

Citizen Non-citizen

Documents

Virginia Unemployment Claims Data Demographics...The week of July 12th – th18th marks the 18 week of the COVID-19 crisis in the Commonwealth. This week, there were 37,946 initial