S.C unemployment claims drop below 5,000 for week

Initial unemployment claims in South Carolina for the week ending April 17 dipped back below 5,000, though Greenville County topped 500 claims.

The 4,921 claims represented a drop of 124 from the previous week, when claims climbed above 5,000 at 5,045 for the first time in five weeks. For the week ending April 17, Greenville County saw a state-high 509 claims filed, while Richland County had 427, according to data from the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce.

Greenville County had a state-high 445 claims the previous week.

Nationally, 547,000 claims were filed for the week ending April 17, down 39,000 from the previous week.

Since March 15, 2020, 883,219 initial claims have been filed in South Carolina, and DEW has paid out $5.9 billion in a combination of state and federal unemployment benefits. For the most recent week, 114,170 claimants received a total of $66.9 million.

Spartanburg County saw 365 initial claims filed for the week ending April 17, while Horry County had 262 and Anderson County 234. Charleston County saw 225 claims and Lexington County 200.