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Initial claims for unemployment insurance in the U.S. rose to 225,000 for the week ending September 28, an increase of 6,000 from the previous week's revised level of 219,000, according to a U.S. Department of Labor report. This uptick marks a continuation of the slight rise seen in recent weeks, says its press release. The 4-week moving average for jobless claims dropped by 750 to 224,250, signaling relative stability despite the weekly increase.
The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate held steady at 1.2 percent for the week ending September 21, unchanged from the previous week. The number of people receiving benefits, known as insured unemployment, fell slightly to 1.826 million, a decrease of 1,000 from the previous week's revised total. The 4-week moving average for insured unemployment also declined by 4,750 to 1.829 million.
On an unadjusted basis, initial claims totaled 180,647 in the week ending September 28, reflecting a decrease of 1,066 from the previous week. Seasonal factors had anticipated a larger drop, but the actual figures show a milder decline than expected. In the same week a year ago, there were 174,701 initial claims filed.
The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate for the week ending September 21 remained at 1.1 percent, matching the rate from the prior week. The total number of people receiving benefits under state programs was 1.62 million, representing a decrease of 7,908 from the preceding week. In comparison, the same week in 2023 had a slightly lower volume of 1.585 million claims.
The total number of continued weeks claimed for unemployment benefits across all programs was 1.651 million for the week ending September 14, down by 41,454 from the previous week. This represents a moderate drop, which contrasts with the 1.612 million claims recorded during the same period in 2023.
For the week ending September 21, initial claims for unemployment insurance by former federal civilian employees dropped by 37 to 275. Similarly, newly discharged veterans filed 398 initial claims, a decrease of 20 from the prior week. Continued claims by federal civilian employees rose by 103 to 4,001, while claims from newly discharged veterans increased by 1,043 to 4,656.
The highest insured unemployment rates for the week ending September 14 were recorded in New Jersey (2.3%), California (2.0%), and Puerto Rico (1.9%). Other states with elevated rates included Rhode Island (1.8%), Washington (1.7%), and Nevada (1.6%). States such as Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, and Pennsylvania saw rates between 1.4% and 1.5%.
The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending September 21 occurred in Virginia (+688), Washington (+596), and Ohio (+584). In contrast, significant decreases were seen in New York (-1,510), Texas (-1,450), and South Carolina (-641), reflecting regional variations in labor market conditions.