COVID-19: Colorado Counties With the Most Unemployment Claims

The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment has released county-by-county figures for unemployment filings throughout the state, and they contain both positive and negative news.

The positive: In most places, the pace of filings continues to slow from their March and April highs.

The negative: The number of people with continuing unemployment claims remains staggering, suggesting that most of those who lost their jobs amid the fallout from COVID-19 are having difficulty finding a new gig.

Take Denver County, for example. Here's a breakdown of initial unemployment claims from March 21, when the impact of the pandemic was first being felt on a wide scale, to May 30, the most recent week for which data is available:

Initial claims for the week ending March 21: 4,841
Initial claims for the week ending March 28: 12,576
Initial claims for the week ending April 4: 11,606
Initial claims for the week ending April 11: 8,229
Initial claims for the week ending April 18: 5,771
Initial claims for the week ending April 25: 5,521
Initial claims for the week ending May 2: 4,328
Initial claims for the week ending May 9: 3,263
Initial claims for the week ending May 16: 2,644
Initial claims for the week ending May 23: 2,186 

The total number of filings has been drifting down every week since March 28 — and the week ending May 30, when there were 1,730 initial claims, continues this trend.

In contrast, continuing claims in Denver took longer to peak and are descending much more slowly:

Continuing claims for the week ending March 14: 5,448
Continuing claims for the week ending March 21: 11,365
Continuing claims for the week ending March 28: 10,399
Continuing claims for the week ending April 4: 18,119
Continuing claims for the week ending April 11: 27,627
Continuing claims for the week ending April 18: 32,897
Continuing claims for the week ending April 25: 35,928
Continuing claims for the week ending May 2: 38,147
Continuing claims for the week ending May 9: 39,043
Continuing claims for the week ending May 16: 37,752
Continuing claims for the week ending May 23: 37,712

While the continuing claims have dipped every week since May 9, the 37,712 total for the week ending May 30 was only fourteen claims lower than the previous week's tally.

Because of its status as Colorado's largest city, Denver's continuing claims top those of every other county. But adjoining parts of the metro area have astonishing numbers of their own, including more than 23,000 continuing claims in Adams County; in excess of 25,000 in Jefferson County; and 31,000-plus in Arapahoe County. And even less populous counties, some of which saw no new filings this week, have clearly been touched by the economic distress associated with the novel coronavirus.

Here are the latest figures from every Colorado county, listed in alphabetical order:

Adams
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 23,363
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 1,281

Alamosa
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 437
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 26

Arapahoe
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 31,343
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 1,604

Archuleta
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 579
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 23

Baca
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 11
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 0

Bent
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 32
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 8

Boulder
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 12,384
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 655

Broomfield
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 2,871
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 116

Chaffee
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 673
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 27

Cheyenne
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 10
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 0

Clear Creek
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 650
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 18

Conejos
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 126
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 0

Costilla
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 98
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 7

Crowley
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 27
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 7

Custer
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 63
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 0

Delta
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 695
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 44

Denver
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 37,698
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 1,730

Dolores
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 67
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 0

Douglas
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 11,535
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 490

Eagle
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 5,199
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 108

Elbert
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 570
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 39

El Paso
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 23,754
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 1,307

Fremont
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 905
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 61

Garfield
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 2,096
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 85

Gilpin
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 765
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 13

Grand
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 1,148
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 32

Gunnison
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 1,074
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 23

Hinsdale
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 11
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 0

Huerfano
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 164
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 17

Jackson
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 31
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 0

Jefferson
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 25,578
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 1,110

Kiowa
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 11
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 0

Kit Carson
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 64
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 0

Lake
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 571
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 21

La Plata
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 2,279
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 117

Larimer
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 13,360
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 673

Las Animas
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 383
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 18

Lincoln
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 65
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 0

Logan
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 396
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 21

Mesa
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 4,926
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 241

Mineral
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 27
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 0

Moffat
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 358
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 31

Montezuma
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 641
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 44

Montrose
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 1,349
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 76

Morgan
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 708
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 58

Otero
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 259
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 27

Ouray
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 241
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 9

Park
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 670
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 24

Phillips
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 46
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 0

Pitkin
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 1,849
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 34

Prowers
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 152
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 22

Pueblo
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 5,046
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 594

Rio Blanco
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 92
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 6

Rio Grande
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 237
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 28

Routt
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 1,789
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 34

Saguache
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 137
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 28

San Juan
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 46
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 0

San Miguel
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 959
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 23

Sedgwick
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 16
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 0

Summit
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 3,678
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 88

Teller
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 1,145
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 30

Washington
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 46
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 0

Weld
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 11,181
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 745

Yuma
Continuing claims for the week ending May 30: 82
Initial claims for the week ending May 30: 0