Jobless claims decline in week

WASHINGTON, July 2 (UPI) -- First-time claims for U.S. unemployment insurance dropped by 16,000 during the week ending June 27, the U.S. Department of Labor reported Thursday.

The 614,000 initial benefits claims contributed to a four-week rolling average of 615,250, which was a slight decrease -- down by 2,750 -- from the previous week's rolling average of 618,000.

The U.S. unemployment rate rose in June from 9.4 percent to 9.5 percent, the department said.

The biggest increases in claims for the week ending June 20 were reported by California with 14,570 additional claims; New Jersey, which added 3,179; and Oregon, which added 3,062, the report said.

State-by-state statistics lag a week behind the national report.

For the week ending June 20, the biggest decreases were reported by Missouri with a decline of 5,753 claims; Pennsylvania, declining by 3,037; and Texas with 2,759 fewer claims than the week of June 13.