Initial jobless claims fall to 194,000, the lowest since July, the Labor Department says

Fewer Americans filed new claims for unemployment benefits last week, with the weekly figure falling to its lowest level since July, according to the Labor Department.

What happened

In the week ended October 17, seasonally adjusted initial claims were 194,000, a decrease of 6,000 from the previous week's revised level. The department revised the previous week's figure up by 1,000, from 199,000 to 200,000. The four-week moving average was 197,750, a decrease of 1,000 from the previous week's revised average of 198,750.

The weekly series compiled by the St. Louis Fed shows the last time claims were lower was the week ended July 18, at 189,000. Claims were between 198,000 and 200,000 in each of the five weeks from September 12 through October 10.

Continuing claims

The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment, which counts people continuing to receive benefits, was 1,728,000 in the week ended October 10, an increase of 25,000 from the previous week's revised level of 1,703,000. The insured unemployment rate was 1.1 percent, unchanged. The four-week moving average was 1,711,000, an increase of 4,000.

Not seasonally adjusted

Before seasonal adjustment, states reported 172,390 initial claims in the week ended October 17, a decrease of 19,321, or 10.1%, from the previous week. There were 205,653 in the comparable week of 2025, so the unadjusted figure was 16.2% lower than a year earlier (computed).

What to watch

The Bureau of Labor Statistics will publish October employment data on Friday, November 6, at 8:30 a.m. ET, according to its schedule. In September, payrolls rose by 29,000 and the unemployment rate was 4.2%, the BLS reported.