How states fared on jobless claims, at a glance

The Labor Department said Thursday that new claims for jobless benefits fell modestly last week, a sign the job market is slowly healing as the economy recovers.

Here's a look at the states with the biggest changes in initial jobless claims, and some of the reasons for the shifts. The state data is for the week ending April 24, one week behind the nationwide figures.

States reporting the largest increases in claims:

California: up 6,418, due to layoffs in the service industry

Massachusetts: up 4,526, due to layoffs in the transportation, warehousing, and service industries

Oregon: up 3,117

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