In July 2024, 3.16 billion U.S. dollars were paid out in unemployment benefits in the United States. This is an increase from June 2024, when 2.62 billion U.S. dollars were paid in unemployment benefits. The large figures seen in 2020 are largely due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
Welfare in the U.S.
Unemployment benefits first started in 1935 during the Great Depression as a part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal. The Social Security Act of 1935 ensured that Americans would not fall deeper into poverty. The United States was the only developed nation in the world at the time that did not offer any welfare benefits. This program created unemployment benefits, Medicare and Medicaid, and maternal and child welfare. The only major welfare program that the United States currently lacks is a paid maternity leave policy. Currently, the United States only offers 12 unpaid weeks of leave, under certain circumstances. However, the number of people without health insurance in the United States has greatly decreased since 2010.
The figures have been rounded to provide a better understanding of the statistic.
Source does not provide release date. Release date reflects date of last access.
Profit from the additional features of your individual account
Currently, you are using a shared account. To use individual functions (e.g., mark statistics as favourites, set
statistic alerts) please log in with your personal account.
If you are an admin, please authenticate by logging in again.
Learn more about how Statista can support your business.
US Department of Labor. (August 23, 2024). Total monthly unemployment insurance benefits paid in the United States from July 2019 to July 2024 (in billion U.S. dollars) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved September 01, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/284857/total-unemployment-benefits-paid-in-the-us/
US Department of Labor. "Total monthly unemployment insurance benefits paid in the United States from July 2019 to July 2024 (in billion U.S. dollars)." Chart. August 23, 2024. Statista. Accessed September 01, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/284857/total-unemployment-benefits-paid-in-the-us/
US Department of Labor. (2024). Total monthly unemployment insurance benefits paid in the United States from July 2019 to July 2024 (in billion U.S. dollars). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: September 01, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/284857/total-unemployment-benefits-paid-in-the-us/
US Department of Labor. "Total Monthly Unemployment Insurance Benefits Paid in The United States from July 2019 to July 2024 (in Billion U.S. Dollars)." Statista, Statista Inc., 23 Aug 2024, https://www.statista.com/statistics/284857/total-unemployment-benefits-paid-in-the-us/
US Department of Labor, Total monthly unemployment insurance benefits paid in the United States from July 2019 to July 2024 (in billion U.S. dollars) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/284857/total-unemployment-benefits-paid-in-the-us/ (last visited September 01, 2024)
Total monthly unemployment insurance benefits paid in the United States from July 2019 to July 2024 (in billion U.S. dollars) [Graph], US Department of Labor, August 23, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/284857/total-unemployment-benefits-paid-in-the-us/