Weekly Jobless Claims Inch Higher as Economy Braces for Hurricane Helene, Port Strike Fallout

Sioux Falls, South Dakota, recently posted the lowest unemployment rate of 1.9 percent, while El Centro, California, recorded the highest rate of 20.2 percent.

File photograph shows an employment application form at Columbia-Greene Community College in Hudson, New York, on April 22, 2014. AP Photo/Mike Groll, File

The number of Americans filing unemployment benefits last week increased slightly, topping market expectations, according to recent federal government statistics.

New Department of Labor data show that initial jobless claims climbed by 6,000 from the previous week to a three-week high of 225,000 for the week ending September 28.