TEXAS — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose last week to 744,000, signaling that many employers are still cutting jobs even as more people are vaccinated against COVID-19, consumers gain confidence and the government distributes aid throughout the economy.

According to a study by SmartAsset, Texas ranks number three among states where people are hurting the most amid the coronavirus pandemic. The financial planning company says “Texas has the second-highest recent food insufficiency figure in the study, with 15.2% of adults not having enough food over the course of the previous seven days.”

Texas comes right behind New York, which is ranked at number two and Louisiana, which is ranked at number one.

To find states where people are hurting the most, SmartAsset looked at several metrics including unemployment rate, poverty rate and food insufficiency.

Although the pandemic is a major contributing factor to people’s economic hardships, multiple events hit people hard in the past year. Winter storms that impacted several states in February 2021 also dealt a big financial blow to many Americans.  

The Associated Press contributed to this story.