The Labor Department reported Thursday that seasonally adjusted initial unemployment insurance claims totaled 208,000 for the week ending July 11, a decrease of 8,000 from the prior week's revised level.
The previous week's figure was revised up by 1,000, from 215,000 to 216,000, according to the Department of Labor. The 4-week moving average, which smooths out week-to-week volatility, fell to 214,250 — a drop of 4,750 from the prior week's revised average of 219,000.
Continued claims, which reflect workers who have already filed an initial claim and are still receiving benefits, totaled 1,805,000 on a seasonally adjusted basis for the week ending July 4, a decrease of 16,000 from the prior week's revised level. The insured unemployment rate held at 1.2%.
On an unadjusted basis, actual initial claims under state programs totaled 244,826 for the week ending July 11, an increase of 18,834 from the prior week. The Labor Department noted that seasonal factors had anticipated a larger increase of 28,574.
For the week ending July 4, the largest state-level increases in unadjusted initial claims came in California, up 8,078; Missouri, up 6,037, driven by layoffs in manufacturing; New York, up 4,587, reflecting layoffs in transportation and warehousing, health care and social assistance, and educational services; Michigan, up 4,458, also tied to manufacturing layoffs; and Tennessee, up 2,331. The largest decreases were in New Jersey, down 2,674; Connecticut, down 2,619; Oregon, down 2,284; Maryland, down 1,223; and Florida, down 1,218, where the state cited fewer layoffs across agriculture, construction, wholesale trade, retail trade, and manufacturing.
Initial claims filed by former federal civilian employees totaled 424 for the week ending July 4, an increase of 20 from the prior week. Claims filed by newly discharged veterans totaled 420, an increase of 41.
A year earlier, for the comparable week in 2025, seasonally adjusted initial claims stood at 221,000, and the insured unemployment rate was 1.3%.