U.S. initial jobless claims rose to a seasonally adjusted 199,000 in the week ended October 10, the Labor Department said in its October 15, 2026 release. The advance figure was 1,000 above the previous week’s revised 198,000. The four-week average edged up to 198,500.
The revision changes the comparison
The prior week’s initial estimate was 197,000. In the new weekly report, the department revised that figure upward by 1,000. The reported weekly increase therefore compares 199,000 with 198,000, rather than with the number first published a week earlier.
The four-week average rose by 250 from a revised 198,250. The department also revised that earlier average upward by 250. Keeping the release date beside the data matters when comparing a current report with an older download: the two documents may carry different estimates for the same week.
Continuing claims cover an earlier week
Seasonally adjusted insured unemployment stood at 1.710 million for the week ended October 3, down 4,000 from a revised 1.714 million. The insured unemployment rate was unchanged at 1.1%.
Those figures do not refer to the October 10 week used for the headline initial-claims number. Initial claims, insured unemployment and the corresponding averages should therefore retain their own period labels in a chart, dashboard or written comparison.
The report’s unadjusted initial-claims total was 190,626 for the week ended October 10. That series rose by 19,456 from the preceding week, while the seasonal factors anticipated an increase of 18,799. Mixing the unadjusted change with the adjusted headline would describe two different comparisons as one.
What the release establishes
The figures document activity in unemployment-insurance programs. They do not replace the monthly jobs report or establish how every part of the labor market changed.
For the distinction between the monthly payroll and household measures, see establishment survey versus household survey. Our economic release calendar keeps the other major data schedules separate.
