Initial claims for unemployment benefits in Ohio fell last week compared to the week before, the U.S. Department of Labor said Thursday.

New unemployment claims, a measure of layoffs, fell to 7,742 in the week ending Nov. 9, down from 8,095 the week before, the Labor Department said.

U.S. unemployment claims fell to 217,000 last week, a decline of 4,000 claims from 221,000 the week before on a seasonally adjusted basis.

Alaska experienced the largest percentage increase in weekly claims, with claims increasing 56.0%. Michigan, meanwhile, saw the largest percentage decline in new claims, with claims down 34.9%.

The USA TODAY Network is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites nationwide, generated from data from the U.S. Department of Labor’s weekly unemployment insurance claims report.

This article originally appeared in Chillicothe Gazette: Ohio unemployment claims fell last week