MN Overpaid $430 Million In COVID-Era Unemployment Benefits: Feds

ST. PAUL, MN — Minnesota overpaid $434 million in unemployment insurance benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new estimate from the federal government.

The U.S. Department of Labor approximates that from July 1, 2020, through June 30, 2023, 9.91 percent of payments in Minnesota were paid at the incorrect rate.

That adds up to $434,016,714.

But despite the eye-popping number, Minnesota's overpayment rate was among the lowest in the nation during that time period, according to federal estimates.

Unlike Minnesota, most states had an overpayment rate of over 10 percent, some as high as 45 percent.

In Minnesota, the primary reason blamed for the overpayments was applicants or employers incorrectly listing the amount for a person's "previous earnings," according to officials:

Read more on Minnesota's overpayments here.

Find each state's estimated overpayment rate below. The list includes Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C.:

1. Virginia: 45.14%
2. Florida: 41.91%
3. Tennessee: 40.85%
4. Rhode Island: 37.61%
5. Kansas: 29.61%
6. Nevada: 26.98%
7. Louisiana: 26.70%
8. Colorado: 26.51%
9. Massachusetts: 26.26%
10. New York: 22.81%
11. South Carolina: 22.13%
12. Alabama: 21.87%
13. Arizona: 20.49%
14. California: 20.10%
15. Illinois: 19.85%
16. Nebraska: 19.81%
17. Connecticut: 19.20%
18. North Carolina: 19.20%
19. Delaware: 19.10%
20. Pennsylvania: 18.73%
21. Wisconsin: 18.72%
22. New Jersey: 18.56%
23. New Hampshire: 18.21%
24. Michigan: 17.79%
25. Arkansas: 17.66%
26. Mississippi: 16.90%
27. Maryland: 15.07%
28. Oklahoma: 14.46%
29. District of Columbia: 14.28%
30. Georgia: 13.47%
31. Oregon: 13.83%
32. Texas: 12.59%
33. Puerto Rico: 12.77%
34. Indiana: 12.72%
35. Ohio: 12.34%
36. Wyoming: 12.28%
37. Iowa: 12.41%
38. West Virginia: 12.14%
39. Vermont: 12.01%
40. Maine: 11.86%
41. Kentucky: 11.23%
42. Alaska: 11.02%
43. Washington: 11.09%
44. New Mexico: 10.80%
45. Minnesota: 9.91%
46. South Dakota: 9.98%
47. Montana: 9.40%
48. Missouri: 8.91%
49. North Dakota: 8.27%
50. Idaho: 7.78%
51. Hawaii: 5.98%
52. Utah: 5.95%