The amount Beaufort County residents who filed initial claims to receive unemployment insurance benefits increased from 82 people in July to 100 people in August, according to information released by the N.C. Department of Commerce’s Labor and Economic Analysis Division.

Larry Parker, spokesman for the Division of Employment Security, and area workforce officials said the increase in claims filed from July to August reflects the increases in Beaufort County’s unemployment rate during the summer.

In June, 113 people filed initial claims for unemployment insurance benefits.

For the third time this year, the amount of unemployment insurance benefits paid to Beaufort County residents increased from one month to the next month, according to LEAD data. In August, those benefits totaled $100,154, up from the $97,670 paid in July, according to LEAD figures. In June, the amount of benefits paid totaled $96,348.

The other uptick in the amount of benefits paid this year occurred in May when, after four straight months of declining amounts of benefits paid, the amount totaled $102,616, up from the $98,565 paid in April, according to LEAD information. In January, those benefits totaled $131,132. In February, the benefits paid had dropped to $127,205. For March, the benefits paid fell again to $119,424.

Of the 99 county residents who filed initial claims for benefits in August, 50 were men and 49 were men, according to LEAD data. Of those 99 residents, 49 were black or African-American, 43 were white and seven were from other races, according to LEAD information.

The age group with the highest number of benefits recipients in August was the 25-to-34 group, which had 27 recipients. The 45-to-54 age group had 24 recipients in August, followed by the 35-to-44 age group with 21 recipients. The 20-to-24 had 12 recipients and the 55-to-64 age groups had 10 recipients.

In North Carolina during August, the average weekly benefit amount was $233.09, according to LEAD data. In July, the average weekly benefit was $229.12. In July 2014, the average weekly benefit amount was $220.49, according to LEAD data.

The amount of a claimant’s weekly benefit amount depends, in part, on that person’s salary history during the last two quarters of his or her base period divided by 52. A claimant must have at least $780 in one of those last two quarters to establish a weekly benefit amount, which cannot exceed $350.

The overall benefits paid include regular unemployment insurance, unemployment compensation for federal employees, unemployment compensation for ex-military personnel, emergency unemployment compensation, extended benefits and federal additional compensation, according to LEAD documents.