First-time jobless benefit claims fell by 37,000 in the week ending Saturday with 391,000 claims filed, the U.S. Labor Department said Thursday.
It was the first week since mid-August that there were fewer than 400,000 claims filed. It was also the largest weekly drop since the week of May 12.
The four-week rolling average for claims filed was 417,000, down 5,250 from the previous revised average, the department said.
In August, the unemployment rate was 9.1 percent, unchanged from July. The unemployment rate for September is scheduled to be released Oct. 7.
In the week ending Sept. 17, New York had the largest increase in first-time jobless claims with 4,389. Puerto Rico had the largest decrease in claims for the week with 905 fewer claims filed.
Source: UPI