On October 10, 2026, the D.C. Policy Center’s unemployment claims data was cited in the AFRO News:
COVID-19 taught us how quickly working families can be pushed into economic crisis. From March 13 through April 21, 2020, more than 72,000 unemployment claims were filed in the District, according to the D.C. Policy Center. By May, the city’s unemployment rate had reached 8.9 percent. This was not merely a labor-market disruption. It was a crisis at kitchen tables across the city, with families confronting unpaid rent, mounting bills, interrupted health care, food insecurity and an uncertain future.
Read more: D.C. must not automate workers out of their livelihoods