Unemployment claims in California declined last week

Initial filings for unemployment benefits in California dropped last week compared with the week prior, the U.S. Department of Labor said Thursday.

New jobless claims, a proxy for layoffs, fell to 42,146 in the week ending July 19, down from 46,380 the week before, the Labor Department said.

U.S. unemployment claims dropped to 217,000 last week, down 4,000 claims from 221,000 the week prior on a seasonally adjusted basis.

Kentucky saw the largest percentage increase in weekly claims, with claims jumping by 164.9%. Mississippi, meanwhile, saw the largest percentage drop in new claims, with claims dropping by 50.3%.

The USA TODAY Network is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across the country, generated with data from the U.S. Department of Labor's weekly unemployment insurance claims report.

This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Unemployment claims in California declined last week