Key Highlights

  • Initial jobless claims fell by 1,000 to 194,000 in the week ending October 24, below the 199,000 forecast.
  • The four week moving average declined by 1,250 to 196,750, while claims a year earlier stood at 221,000.
  • Continuing claims fell by 21,000 to 1,701,000 for the week ending October 17, with the insured unemployment rate at 1.1%.
  • Claims from former federal civilian employees totaled 442 in the week ending October 17, down 113 from the previous week.

Claims Reach a Three Month Low

The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell to 194,000 in the week ending October 24, according to the Department of Labor. That was a decrease of 1,000 from the previous week's revised level of 195,000, which had been revised up from 194,000. Forecasts had pointed to 199,000.

The reading is the lowest since the week ending July 18, when claims were 189,000. Weekly readings in 2026 have stayed between 189,000 and 230,000. A year earlier, in the week ending October 25, 2025, seasonally adjusted initial claims were 221,000, which puts the latest figure about 12% lower.

The four week moving average was 196,750, a decrease of 1,250 from the previous week's revised average of 198,000.

Continuing Claims Slip

Continuing claims, which measure the number of people still receiving benefits, fell by 21,000 to 1,701,000 in the week ending October 17. The previous week's level was revised down by 6,000, from 1,728,000 to 1,722,000. Continuing claims are reported with a one week lag compared with initial claims.

The seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.1%, unchanged from the previous week. The four week moving average was 1,710,000, an increase of 500. A year earlier, insured unemployment stood at 1,953,000, so the latest level is about 13% lower. Market data providers describe it as the lowest in more than three years.

Seasonal Factors Shape the Headline

Before seasonal adjustment, initial claims under state programs totaled 178,851 in the week ending October 24, an increase of 5,648, or 3.3%, from the previous week. Seasonal factors had expected an increase of 6,040, or 3.5%, which is why the adjusted figure edged lower. There were 203,012 unadjusted claims in the comparable week of 2025.

Unadjusted insured unemployment totaled 1,490,071, an increase of 14,007, or 0.9%, while seasonal factors had expected a rise of 32,725, or 2.2%. The unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.0%, compared with 1.1% a year earlier. The Department of Labor notes that weekly claims data are administrative and difficult to seasonally adjust, which makes the series subject to some volatility.

The total number of continued weeks claimed for benefits in all programs was 1,500,078 in the week ending October 10, an increase of 14,467 from the previous week, compared with 1,712,123 in the comparable week of 2025. Those figures are not seasonally adjusted and cover all programs, including federal employees, veterans, Extended Benefits and work sharing.

Federal Employee Claims

Claims from former federal civilian employees remain in focus because of the administration's push to shrink the public sector. They totaled 442 in the week ending October 17, a decrease of 113 from the prior week, compared with 10,064 in the comparable week a year earlier. Continued weeks claimed by former federal civilian employees were 4,934 in the week ending October 10, down 100 from the previous week, against 14,464 a year earlier.

Newly discharged veterans filed 387 initial claims, a decrease of 40. Their continued weeks claimed were 5,875, an increase of 1,057. No state was triggered on to the Extended Benefits program in the week ending October 10.

State Detail

For the week ending October 17, the largest increase in unadjusted initial claims was in Michigan, up 1,906, with the state citing layoffs in the manufacturing industry. The largest decreases were in Ohio, down 4,478, attributed to fewer manufacturing layoffs, followed by Tennessee, down 2,635, California, down 1,930, New York, down 1,554, Pennsylvania, down 1,532, and Texas, down 1,393.

Advance figures for the week ending October 24 show California with the most claims, at 39,900, followed by New York at 14,845 and Texas at 14,755. The department cautions that advance state claims are not directly comparable to prior weeks, which are reported by state of residence. The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending October 10 were in New Jersey at 2.0%, Washington at 1.8%, and California and Massachusetts at 1.7%.

Michigan reported 5,735 advance claims for the week ending October 24, down 1,783 from the prior week's 7,518. California had 309,219 insured unemployed in the week ending October 17, the largest state total, followed by New York at 137,298 and Texas at 129,657.

Context From Other Data

Market data providers describe the claims figures as consistent with a resilient labor market. Other releases on the same morning showed third quarter GDP growing at a 3.4% annual rate and September personal income rising 0.2%, with private wages and salaries leading the increase in compensation.

Markers to Follow

The Department of Labor will publish its next weekly claims report on the usual Thursday schedule. Items on the calendar include whether initial claims hold near the 194,000 level, the four week average relative to 196,750, continuing claims relative to 1,701,000, and claims from federal employees.