Economy
US initial jobless claims fall to 194,000 as continuing claims rise
Initial claims for US unemployment benefits fell by 6,000 to 194,000 in the week to October 17, while the number of people still claiming rose by 25,000.
Key points
- Seasonally adjusted initial claims fell 6,000 to 194,000 in the week ending October 17, and the prior week was revised to 200,000.
- The four-week moving average declined 1,000 to 197,750.
- Insured unemployment rose 25,000 to 1,728,000 in the week ending October 10, with the rate steady at 1.1%.
The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell in mid-October, the US Department of Labor reported on Thursday, October 22. Seasonally adjusted initial claims totaled 194,000 in the week ending October 17, a decrease of 6,000 from the previous week's revised level of 200,000. That earlier figure had first been reported as 199,000.
The four-week moving average, which smooths out week-to-week volatility, fell by 1,000 to 197,750. In the comparable week of 2025, seasonally adjusted initial claims stood at 231,000.
Continuing claims moved in the opposite direction. The advance number of people receiving benefits, known as insured unemployment, rose by 25,000 to 1,728,000 in the week ending October 10. The insured unemployment rate was unchanged at 1.1 percent.
Before seasonal adjustment, initial claims totaled 172,390, down 19,321, or 10.1 percent, from the previous week. Seasonal factors had expected a decline of 7.4 percent. A year earlier, unadjusted claims for the comparable week were 205,653. Among states, the largest increases in initial claims for the week ending October 10 were in Ohio, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, California and Texas.
Weekly claims are among the most timely indicators of conditions in the US labor market, and the Federal Reserve follows them alongside monthly payroll and inflation data. The Labor Department publishes the figures every Thursday at 8:30 a.m. Eastern time.
