Massachusetts unemployment claims plummet

The number of jobless claims in Massachusetts fell sharply in the week through July 20 compared with the previous week, the U.S. Department of Labor reported Thursday.

The number of new applications for unemployment benefits, a proxy for layoffs, fell to 4,564 from 6,502, the Labor Department said.

US jobless claims fell to 235,000, a decrease of 10,000.

Texas had the largest percentage increase in weekly claims, 24.9%. Kansas had the largest decline, 68.7%.

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

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Massachusetts Jobless Claims Drop Sharply