In the week ending Aug. 18, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 322,000, a decrease of 2,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 324,000. The 4-week moving average was 317,750, an increase of 4,750 from the previous week's revised average of 313,000.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.9 percent for the week ending Aug. 11, unchanged from the prior week's unrevised rate of 1.9 percent.

The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending Aug. 11 was 2,572,000, an increase of 16,000 from the preceding week's revised level of 2,556,000. The 4-week moving average was 2,553,000, an increase of 7,750 from the preceding week's revised average of 2,545,250.

UNADJUSTED DATA

The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 255,116 in the week ending Aug. 18, a decrease of 11,563 from the previous week. There were 252,357 initial claims in the comparable week in 2006.

The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.9 percent during the week ending Aug. 11, unchanged from the prior week. The advance unadjusted number for persons claiming UI benefits in state programs totaled 2,419,866, an increase of 7,750 from the preceding week. A year earlier, the rate was 1.8 percent and the volume was 2,326,364.

Extended benefits were not available in any state during the week ending Aug. 4

Initial claims for UI benefits by former Federal civilian employees totaled 1,192 in the week ending Aug. 11, an increase of 142 from the prior week. There were 1,877 initial claims by newly discharged veterans, an increase of 168 from the preceding week.

There were 14,354 former Federal civilian employees claiming UI benefits for the week ending Aug. 4, an increase of 258 from the previous week. Newly discharged veterans claiming benefits totaled 21,241, a decrease of 61 from the prior week.

The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending Aug. 4 were in Puerto Rico (3.2 percent), New Jersey (3.1), Rhode Island (2.9), Michigan (2.8), Pennsylvania (2.8), Arkansas (2.5), Massachusetts (2.5), Alaska (2.4), Connecticut (2.4), California (2.3), and Oregon (2.3).

The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending Aug. 11 were in California (+2,573), North Carolina (+1,733), New York (+1,343), Nevada (+633), and Louisiana (+503), while the largest decreases were in Kentucky (-4,053), Michigan (-3,823), Iowa (-898), Illinois (-709), and Pennsylvania (-615).