Unemployment claims in New York declined last week. See how much they dropped

Initial filings for unemployment benefits in New York 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 12,920 in the week ending April 20, down from 17,094 the week before, the Labor Department said.

U.S. unemployment claims dropped to 207,000 last week, down 5,000 claims from 212,000 the week prior on a seasonally adjusted basis.

Rhode Island saw the largest percentage increase in weekly claims, with claims jumping by 231.4%. Virgin Islands, meanwhile, saw the largest percentage drop in new claims, with claims dropping by 60.9%.

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 Times Telegram: New York job market: Unemployment claims dropped 24 percent last week