Unemployment claims are falling as Lexington County returns to work.

754 Lexington County residents filed claims the week ending July 4.

Richland County had the 2nd-highest number of claims – 1,467 – behind Greenville County at 1,529,

In the state, more than 16,000 people filed claims.

That brought the total SC claims in the last 16 weeks to 651,750.

That's not quite 13% of the state's 5.2 million residents

Federal unemployment benefits expire July 25.

The 16,062 claims represented a decrease of 897 from the previous week.

The SC Department of Employment and Workforce reported it has paid more than $2.9 billion in state and federal benefits.