Unemployment Benefits Comparison by State

Unemployment insurance programs are governed by State governments and are funded by state, federal and private companies that pay employment tax. Ultimately, it comes to the state government to balance the checkbook, so the state has to decide the benefits maximum amount, duration, and eligibility to receive the benefits. For this reason, you notice that unemployment benefits largely vary by state. FEMP09©

Some states like Massachusetts could pay as high as 900 dollars depending on the eligibility. But only a handful of states such as Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey provide generous benefits. Majority of the states provide average benefits in the range of 300 to 500 dollars. So, depending on where you worked, your unemployment benefits are determined and if you live in those states that do not pay well, you may regret working there because, even if you move, the unemployment insurance will still be controlled by the state where you earned your wages. When you are filing for unemployment, you would have to apply in the state where you worked; regardless of state you are currently living.

UPDATE: On November 6th, 2009 President Obama signed the Emergency Unemployment Compensation Extension Act, which would extend unemployment benefits by additional 14 weeks. States with jobless rates of 8.5% or higher will get an additional 6 weeks for a total of 20 weeks. The charts and tables below do not reflect the additional 14 weeks.

State Unemployment Benefits Comparison

The following comparison data provides an overview of benefits and shows which states pay well.

States that pay highest unemployment insurance compensation

1. Massachusetts ($628-942, 72 weeks)
2. Rhode Island  ($528-660, 79 weeks)
3. Pennsylvania ($558-566, 72 weeks)
4. Connecticut ($519-594, 72 weeks)
5. New Jersey (584, 79 weeks)

Massachusetts seems to be providing highest amount, but please note that the amount ranges from $628 to $942, so depending on your eligibility, you may get anywhere from $628 to $942.  In terms of the duration, most of the top 5 states provide similar coverage although New Jersey and Rhode Island pay unemployment benefits 7 weeks longer than the rest.

States that pay lowest unemployment insurance compensation

1. Mississippi ($230, 59 weeks)
2. Arizona ($240, 72 weeks)
3. Alabama ($255, 59 weeks)
4. Tennessee ($275, 59 weeks)
5. Florida ($275, 79 weeks)

Mississippi  pays the lowest amount in country, followed by Arizona, which at least pays longer – 72 weeks when compared to Mississippi’s 59 weeks.  Even though Florida is also one of the lowest paying states, it does pay the benefits for 79 weeks, the longest in the country.

States that provide unemployment compensation for longer duration

1. Rhode Island (79 weeks, $528-660)
2. Ohio (79 weeks, $370-503)
3. Alaska (79 weeks, $370-442  )
4. Minnesota (79 weeks, $351-566 )
5. New Jersey (79 weeks, %584)

What is interesting here is that the states that pay longer period of time, are also paying more in the dollar amount also. Rhode Island and New Jersey top in both the maximum amount and longest duration lists.

States that provide unemployment compensation for shorter duration

1. Oklahoma (46 weeks, $409)
2. North Dakota (46 weeks, $406)
3. Nebraska (46 weeks, $308)
4. South Dakota (46 weeks, $298)
5. Louisiana (46 weeks, $284)

Not surprisingly, the states that provide unemployment insurance coverage for a shorter  duration also provide less money. These are the “stingy” states you don’t want to live if you fear unemployment. These states are more likely to be business friendly as businesses don’t have to pay as much employment taxes compared to other states

Unemployment Benefits By State

This table provides a complete list of unemployment benefits and duration for all 50 states. The table provides the maximum dollar amount per week provided by each state and also the maximum number of weeks benefits are provided.

State	Max weekly payment	Max # of weeks
Alabama	$255	59
Alaska	$370-442	79
Arizona	$240	72
Arkansas	$431	72
California	$450	79
Colorado	$431-475	72
Connecticut	$519-594	72
Delaware	$330	59
Florida	$275	79
Georgia	$330	79
Hawaii	$545	59
Idaho	$363	72
Illinois	$385-534	72
Indiana	$390	79
Iowa	$361-443	46
Kansas	$423	59
Kentucky	$415	79
Louisiana	$284	46
Maine	$344-516	72
Maryland	$380	59
Massachusetts	$628-942	72
Michigan	$362	79
Minnesota	$351-566	79
Mississippi	$230	59
Missouri	$320	79
Montana	$407	72
Nebraska	$308	46
Nevada	$393	79
New Hampshire	$427	59
New Jersey	$584	79
New Mexico	$359-459	46
New York	$405	72
North Carolina	$494	79
North Dakota	$406	46
Ohio	$370-503	79
Oklahoma	$409	46
Oregon	$482	79
Pennsylvania	$558-566	72
Rhode Island	$528-660	79
South Carolina	$326	72
South Dakota	$298	46
Tennessee	$275	59
Texas	$392	59
Utah	$444	46
Vermont	$425	72
Virginia	$378	72
Washington	$541	79
Washington, D.C.	$359	79
West Virginia	$424	59
Wisconsin	$363	79
Wyoming	$415	46
Average	$410	67.33

Note: this data was collected in June 2009. State unemployment agencies can change the benefits. Please refer to State agency website if you are looking for most up to date information. This data was provided as an analysis to compare the benefits. Source for the data was a report from Wall Street Journal publications.

For further reading on unemployment insurance, please refer to the following articles.
How to file for unemployment

Applying for unemployment benefits

How to file unemployment in Ohio

How to file unemployment in PA

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