Unemployment Numbers Rise

Initial unemployment claims filed by U.S. workers increased by 26,000 last week, according to figures released Thursday by the U.S. Department of Labor.

About 397,000 workers filed claims for unemployment benefits last week, up from the previous week’s revised figure of 371,000.

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Jobless claims had fallen by 20,000 the previous week, which marked their lowest point since September 2008.

The four-week average for initial claims was 392,250, an increase of 3,000 from the previous week’s revised average of 389,250.

During the week ended Feb. 26, California reported the largest decrease in initial claims, declining by 12,730. Massachusetts saw the largest increase, at 3,804.

Nationally, the number of people claiming unemployment benefits for the week ended Feb. 19 was 8.77 million.

The Dayton-area unemployment rate rose to 10.6 percent in January.

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