Unemployment Benefits by State

Unemployment benefits became more relevant to everyone’s life after the pandemic. Many states upped their state benefits as the number of people left unemployed or couldn’t simply work due to the pandemic.

The unemployment benefits by state are completely different though. While you may be eligible for up to $500 weekly from the state in unemployment compensation, that would be too high in another state. How much you’re going to get in benefits changes entirely based on the state you live in. For example, the lowest unemployment benefit is in Mississippi at $235 per week whereas the highest is in Massachusetts at $823. While the unemployment benefit amounts vary by state, there is also the length of the unemployment compensation. Both North Carolina and Florida offer the shortest unemployment compensation for 12 weeks. Montana has the longest unemployment compensation for 28 weeks – more than six months.

As you can see from the examples above, the unemployment benefits by state vary. Here is a list of every state in the state regards to unemployment benefits. The list includes the maximum monthly benefit amount and the number of weeks.

Alabama: $275/26 weeks
Alaska: $370/26 weeks
Arizona: $240/26 weeks
Arkansas: $450/20 weeks
California: 450/26 weeks
Colorado: $620/26 weeks
Connecticut: $650/26 weeks
Delaware: $400/26 weeks
Florida: $275/12 weeks
Georgia: $365/14 weeks
Hawaii: $650/26 weeks
Idaho: $450/20 weeks
Illinois: 480/26 weeks
Indiana: $390/26 weeks
Iowa: $480/26 weeks
Kansas: $490/16 weeks
Kentucky: $550/26 weeks
Louisiana: $250/26 weeks
Maine: $445/26 weeks
Maryland: $430/26 weeks
Massachusetts: $820/26 weeks
Michigan: $360/20 weeks
Minnesota: $740/26 weeks
Mississippi: $235/26 weeks
Missouri: $320/13 weeks
Montana: $550/28 weeks
Nebraska: $440/26 weeks
Nevada: $480/26 weeks
New Hampshire: $420/26 weeks
New Jersey: $710/26 weeks
New Mexico: $510/26 weeks
New York: $500/26 weeks
North Carolina: $350/12 weeks
North Dakota: $620/26 weeks
Ohio: $480/26 weeks
Oklahoma: $540/26 weeks
Oregon: $650/26 weeks
Pennsylvania: $570/26 weeks
Rhode Island: $590/26 weeks
South Carolina: $330/20 weeks:
South Dakota: $420/26 weeks
Tennessee: $275/26 weeks
Texas: $535/26 weeks
Utah: $580/26 weeks
Vermont: $520/26 weeks
Virginia: $380/26 weeks
Washington: $790/26 weeks
West Virginia: $430/26 weeks
Wisconsin: $670/26 weeks
Wyoming: $510/26 weeks

The above list shows the current unemployment benefits by state. These numbers are subject to a change as the current situation with the pandemic is becoming less prevalent in our day-to-day life. As the economy opens a lot more, we might see an increase or decrease in some state’s unemployment benefits. When there are changes to any of the state’s unemployment compensation amounts, we’ll keep the list updated.

Charles Young