SWEETWATER COUNTY — There’s no question that the COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic has had economical impacts around the state. As the economy awaits to be kickstarted by government officials around the country, many continue to rely on unemployment claims.

Wyoming has been no exception. The Wyoming Department of Workforce Services has been on the front line, assisting many individuals who have faced unemployment due to the effects of COVID-19. WDWS provides current statistics regarding weekly unemployment insurance claims. Over the month of April, the statistics revealed part of the economic devastation left behind by COVID-19.

According to the data, the number of continued unemployment claims in Sweetwater County has increased drastically since the start of the pandemic, hitting over 1,100 claimants as of April 18. Compared to a month ago, the number of continued claims sat at 360.

You can see the total number of continued claimants in the county in the graph below:

As part of the data, WDWS reported that 440 employers in Sweetwater County are associated with the 1,109 claimants, up from just 176 at the beginning of March.

The plague of unemployment is not restricted to Sweetwater County alone. From a statewide perspective, the numbers follow a similar narrative. As of April 18, the total number of continued claims in Wyoming has grown to a colossal 15,735, increasing by nearly 12,000 since March.

Below is a bar graph with continued unemployment claims in Wyoming since mid-February:

The statewide data showed that 4,575 employers around the state are linked to the 15,735 claimants. A month ago, there were just over 2,100 employers linked to 3,935 claimants.