The number of unemployment claims in Denton County continues to grow.

According to new unofficial unemployment statistics released Tuesday by the Texas Workforce Commission, 6,703 Denton County residents filed for unemployment in the week ending April 18.

That number is more than 20 times higher than the same week of 2019, but it is a little bit lower than the previous three weeks. More than 34,000 Denton County residents had filed unemployment claims in the four-week span before April 12-18.

Since the coronavirus pandemic and business closures began affecting daily life in Denton County, more than 41,000 Denton County residents filed for unemployment.

The current numbers are expected to continue to rise. Nationwide and in Texas, people have reported long wait times and difficulty in getting their phone calls answered to process their unemployment claims. The TWC has recommended designated call times, split up by area code, to better spread out the call volume.

If you have had trouble getting through, don’t worry about losing out on funding. Coronavirus-related claims are eligible to be backdated.

For more information about how to file for unemployment, click here.