The Labor Department reported initial jobless claims for the week ending September 28 came in at a seasonally adjusted 219,000. The 4-week moving average was unchanged at 212,500.
Forecasters were looking for a low of 210,000 to a high of 219,000. The consensus forecast was 216,000.
The insured unemployment rate was also unchanged at 1.1%, the lowest level ever recorded and set the prior week. The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment for the week ending September 21 fell 5,000 to 1,651,000. The 4-week moving average fell 5,750 to 1,661,500.
No state was triggered “on” the Extended Benefits program during the week ending September 14.
The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending September 14 were in Puerto Rico (2.0), New Jersey (1.8), California (1.6), Connecticut (1.6), Alaska (1.5), Pennsylvania (1.5), the Virgin Islands (1.4), Illinois (1.3), and Massachusetts (1.3).
The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending September 21 were in Michigan (+4,258), Kansas (+1,475), Missouri (+1,224), Tennessee (+1,191), and Indiana (+796), while the largest decreases were in New York (-1,777), Georgia (-946), South Carolina (-854), New Jersey (-737), and Florida (-571).
