Unemployment claims in North Carolina declined last week

Initial filings for unemployment benefits in North Carolina 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 3,233 in the week ending May 11, down from 3,424 the week before, the Labor Department said.

U.S. unemployment claims dropped to 222,000 last week, down 10,000 claims from 232,000 the week prior on a seasonally adjusted basis.

Louisiana saw the largest percentage increase in weekly claims, with claims jumping by 26.0%. New York, meanwhile, saw the largest percentage drop in new claims, with claims dropping by 40.5%.

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 The Shelby Star: Unemployment claims in North Carolina declined last week