State rankings
Unemployment Benefits by State
Washington has the highest Maximum Weekly Benefits in 2026 ($1,152), followed by Massachusetts ($1,105) and Rhode Island ($931). Mississippi has the lowest ($235).
EconomicsPolitics & Government51 states · 4 metricsUpdated Mar 22, 2025Original page
5 sources
- Monetary Entitlement - US Department of Labor
- Which state pays the most in unemployment benefits? - SingleMotherGuide
- Policy Basics: How Many Weeks of Unemployment Compensation Are Available? - Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
- Unemployment Benefits 2022: Which states have the highest payments? - Marca
- 2023 Maximum Weekly Unemployment Insurance Benefits and Weeks by State - Saving to Invest
51 of 51 states
Cost-of-living adjustmentConverts wages and incomes to what they would buy at average US prices, so $100k in a cheap state and $100k in an expensive one are not treated as equal.More in the glossary →
Maximum Weekly Benefits, 2026
Green is better, red is worse (lower is better). Click a place to highlight it.
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All 51 ranked
Best first.
Distribution Median and middle halfThe median is the middle value: half of places are above it, half below. The middle half is the range holding the central 50% of places.More in the glossary →
Each dot is one state; the lines mark the median and the middle half.
Median
$526
Middle half $384 – $702
Average
$561
51 states
Lowest (best)
$235
Mississippi
Highest (worst)
$1,152
Washington
Biggest changes · 2021 → 2026
51 states have a value in both years.
Improved most
Declined most
Data
Click a column to sort, a row to highlight that place on the charts.
51 states · # = rank by Maximum Weekly Benefits
| # | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Mississippi | $235 | $30.00 | — | 26 |
| 2 |  Florida | $275 | $32.00 | — | 12–20 |
| 2 |  Tennessee | $275 | $30.00 | — | 26 |
| 2 |  Alabama | $275 | $45.00 | — | 26 |
| 2 |  Louisiana | $275 | $10.00 | — | 26 |
| 6 |  Arizona | $320 | $190 | — | 24 |
| 6 |  Missouri | $320 | $35.00 | — | 20 |
| 8 |  South Carolina | $326 | $42.00 | — | 20 |
| 9 |  North Carolina | $350 | $15.00 | — | 12 |
| 10 |  Georgia | $365 | $55.00 | — | 14–20 |
| 11 |  Wisconsin | $370 | $54.00 | — | 26 |
| 11 |  Alaska | $370 | $56.00 | $72.00 | 26 |
| 13 |  Virginia | $378 | $60.00 | — | 26 |
| 14 |  Indiana | $390 | $37.00 | — | 26 |
| 15 |  Delaware | $400 | $20.00 | — | 26 |
| 16 |  West Virginia | $424 | $24.00 | — | 26 |
| 17 |  New Hampshire | $427 | $32.00 | — | 26 |
| 18 |  Maryland | $430 | $50.00 | $430 | 26 |
| 19 |  District of Columbia | $444 | $50.00 | — | 26 |
| 20 |  California | $450 | $40.00 | — | 26 |
| 21 |  Arkansas | $451 | $81.00 | — | 12 |
| 22 |  Nevada | $469 | $16.00 | — | 26 |
| 23 |  South Dakota | $487 | $28.00 | — | 26 |
| 24 |  New York | $504 | $108 | — | 26 |
| 25 |  New Mexico | $511 | $90.00 | $50.00 | 26 |
| 26 |  Nebraska | $526 | $70.00 | — | 26 |
| 27 |  Michigan | $530 | $150 | $362 | 26 |
| 28 |  Idaho | $531 | $72.00 | — | 20 |
| 29 |  Kansas | $560 | $125 | — | 16 |
| 29 |  Wyoming | $560 | $38.00 | — | 26 |
| 31 |  Kentucky | $569 | $39.00 | — | 26 |
| 32 |  Montana | $588 | $169 | — | 28 |
| 33 |  Texas | $605 | $69.00 | — | 26 |
| 33 |  Pennsylvania | $605 | $68.00 | $8.00 | 26 |
| 35 |  Utah | $622 | $35.00 | — | 26 |
| 35 |  Vermont | $622 | $74.00 | — | 26 |
| 37 |  Oklahoma | $649 | $16.00 | — | 16–20 |
| 38 |  North Dakota | $673 | $43.00 | — | 26 |
| 39 |  Iowa | $731 | $73.00 | $106 | 26 |
| 40 |  Hawaii | $765 | $5.00 | — | 26 |
| 41 |  Maine | $781 | $80.00 | $215 | 26 |
| 42 |  Ohio | $789 | $140 | $155 | 26 |
| 43 |  Connecticut | $826 | $15.00 | $75.00 | 26 |
| 44 |  Oregon | $835 | $157 | — | 26 |
| 45 |  Colorado | $844 | $25.00 | — | 26 |
| 46 |  Illinois | $859 | $51.00 | $178 | 26 |
| 47 |  New Jersey | $905 | $132 | $132 | 26 |
| 48 |  Minnesota | $914 | $29.00 | — | 26 |
| 49 |  Rhode Island | $931 | $59.00 | $144 | 26 |
| 50 |  Massachusetts | $1,105 | $103 | $397 | 30 |
| 51 |  Washington | $1,152 | $201 | — | 26 |
What correlates with Maximum Weekly Benefits (2026)?
Pearson r against 2,094 other state metrics sharing at least 31 states. Ranks are read by standing: a better rank counts as higher, whether rank 1 is the best place on a list or the worst. Correlation is not causation.
Higher together
Places that have a higher Maximum Weekly Benefits tend to score higher on these (or rank better)
Opposite directions
Places that have a higher Maximum Weekly Benefits tend to score lower on these (or rank worse)
Quick answers
- Which state has the highest Maximum Weekly Benefits?
- Washington has the highest Maximum Weekly Benefits in 2026, at $1,152, followed by Massachusetts ($1,105) and Rhode Island ($931).
- Which state has the lowest Maximum Weekly Benefits?
- Mississippi has the lowest Maximum Weekly Benefits in 2026, at $235.
- What is the median Maximum Weekly Benefits across US states?
- The median is $526 across the 51 US states with data in 2026.
- Where does this unemployment benefits by state data come from?
- Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: Monetary Entitlement - US Department of Labor; Which state pays the most in unemployment benefits? - SingleMotherGuide; Policy Basics: How Many Weeks of Unemployment Compensation Are Available? - Center on Budget and Policy Priorities; Unemployment Benefits 2022: Which states have the highest payments? - Marca.