The number of New Yorkers collecting unemployment has more than doubled from a year ago to 420,000

From the February 10, 2009 New York Times:

"The maximum weekly unemployment check of $405 in New York is lower than in neighboring states like New Jersey ($584), Connecticut ($576) and Massachusetts ($628).

More than 420,000 state residents are collecting unemployment checks, up from about 175,000 a year ago, according to Gov. David A. Paterson’s office. The jobless rolls are still growing, with twice as many people filing first-time claims for benefits each week as there were a year ago. In December, the state’s unemployment rate rose to 7 percent, from 6 percent in November.

On Feb. 22, the state is scheduled to start paying extended unemployment benefits to thousands of New Yorkers whose benefits have lapsed in the first several weeks of 2009. The rise in the state’s unemployment rate in December qualified residents who had exhausted 46 weeks of benefits to collect an additional 13 weeks."