Last week’s jobless numbers are out, and North Dakota had a higher rate of unemployment claims than most.
According to the US Labor Department, 247,000 workers nationwide filed for jobless benefits last week. This compares to just 8,000 workers in the previous week.
A list by WalletHub says North Dakota is where unemployment claims rose at some of the fastest rates. On a list ranking states by the number of workers seeking jobless benefits, North Dakota ranked third, with 344 per 100,000 workers applying for unemployment.
Chip Lupo is an analyst for WalletHub.
"Almost a 73 percent in those numbers of claims, about a 17 percent increase compared to the same week a year ago, and almost a 17 percent increase compared to the same period in 2024."
Lupo says sectors of North Dakota’s economy made it more vulnerable to the variables at play…
"North Dakota's economy, jobwise, depends on a lot on the energy sector. And there's a lot of fluctuation, a lot of back and forth, a lot of uncertainty. North Dakota's not the only state that's in a flux, with economies in different sectors based on tariffs and everything else. There's a lot of uncertainty, and I think that's come into play in a lot of these states."
Lupo says one interesting aspect of the survey was North Dakota and Minnesota being ranked 3rd and 4th, respectively, with South Dakota and Iowa coming in at 48th and 51st. He says the economies have stark contrasts.
Lupo also says due to the unpredictability of the country’s current economy, the numbers could be completely different next week.