evidence: As a measure of the extent of UI coverage in a state before the pandemic, we use the UI recipiency rate in 2019. This measure, which is the share of unemployed workers who received UI benefits, varies widely across states: 7 states had recipiency rates of greater than 40 percent in 2019, whereas 17 states had recipiency rates of less than 20 percent.30 Prior research indicates that variation in state recipiency rates reflects state laws (regarding who is covered by UI and for how long) and administrative practices, although labor market variables and other factors are also important.31 States with higher recipiency rates before the pandemic had both a larger share of the population who applied for UI benefits and a larger share of the population who received benefits (see chart 5a).32 This relationship suggests that despite the temporary expansions of UI coverage during the pandemic, preexisting aspects of a state’s UI system still mattered for the number of people who received UI benefits during the pandemic. [...] Despite the persistence of state differences in UI recipiency from before the pandemic, we found that the UI program provided benefits to individuals who were directly affected by the pandemic in the labor market. In addition to providing income support, the UI program improved the well-being of individuals and households. Compared with individuals who applied for UI benefits but did not receive them, individuals who received UI benefits had greater well-being in a variety of domains, including household finances, food security, and mental health.