Jobless claims down by 9,000

WASHINGTON, Sept. 22 (UPI) -- First-time jobless benefit claims fell by 9,000 in the week ending Saturday with 423,000 claims filed, the U.S. Labor Department said Thursday.

The four-week rolling average for claims filed was 421,000, up 500 from the previous revised average, the department said.

In August, the unemployment rate was 9.1 percent, unchanged from July.

In the week ending Sept. 10, Pennsylvania had the largest increase in first-time claims with 3,662. Texas had the largest decrease in claims for the week with 3,776 fewer claims filed.