The 4-week moving average was 226,250, a decrease of 3,000 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 229,000 to 229,250.
According to unadjusted data, the biggest declines were registered in Massachusetts (-4,238); Kentucky (-3,195); Rhode Island (-1,085) and Michigan (-928) while the largest gains were seen in New York (+16,391); California (+7,185); Pennsylvania (+1,770) and Oregon (+965).
The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.2 percent for the week ending February 23, a decrease of 0.1 percentage point from the previous week's unrevised rate.
The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending February 23 was 1,755,000, a decrease of 50,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 1,805,000. The 4-week moving average was 1,766,500, an increase of 4,750 from the previous week's unrevised average of 1,761,750.