Nearly three million Americans file for unemployment; total now just under 36 million

May 14, 2020Updated: May 14, 2020

By News Channel Nebraska

courtneyk/iStockBy CATHERINE THORBECKE, ABC News

(WASHINGTON) -- A total of 2,981,000 more Americans filed for unemployment insurance last week, bringing the total number of jobless claims filed amid the coronavirus pandemic to more than 35 million, according to the Department of Labor.

The COVID-19 crisis has pushed the unemployment rate in the U.S. to a staggering 14.7%, the highest since the Great Depression, according to data released last Friday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Prior to the pandemic, the unemployment rate in the U.S. was 3.5%.