WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. unemployment claims fell to 194,000 last week, the fewest in three months and another sign that layoffs remain low and most Americans enjoy extraordinary job security.
The Labor Department reported that claims were down from 200,000 the week before.
Applications for jobless benefits are a proxy for layoffs, and economists watch them closely because they can provide signs of where the job market is headed. So far this year, claims have remained at historically low levels, never topping 230,000 in a single week.
The four-week average of claims, which strips out week-to-week ups and downs, dipped to 197,750.
The American job market has remained sturdy despite higher energy prices that have squeezed businesses and consumers since the fighting with Iran began Feb. 28. Most companies are confident enough in the economy and their sales to hold onto workers. At the same time, hiring has been sluggish, resulting in a “low-hire, low-fire” job market. Last month, the unemployment rate ticked up to a still-low 4.2%.
So far this year, employers — companies, government agencies and nonprofits — have been adding an average of 68,000 jobs a month. That is an improvement on a lackluster 2025 when monthly job creation averaged 9,700 as high interest rates and President Donald Trump’s unpredictable trade policies discouraged hiring.
Hiring remains well below the 166,000 monthly jobs created, on average, in 2023 and 2024, and the 491,000 a month recorded during the 2021-2022 hiring boom that followed COVID-19 lockdowns.
Construction workers work in Chicago, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
PHOENIX (AP) — Trees fell onto homes and utility poles were knocked down by a possible tornado in a central Arizona community during a series of violent storms that moved through the state overnight into Thursday.
Storms capable of causing hail and wind damage were traveling through central Arizona early Thursday, with some flood watches and the possibility of tornadoes, the National Weather Service said.
On Wednesday night, northern and central parts of the state saw hail the size of golf balls that pummeled people’s roofs, shattered windows and dented cars, along with damaging wind gusts. The weather service had issued multiple warnings during the severe thunderstorms.
A tornado warning was in effect Wednesday night as a storm moved over Heber-Overgaard in Navajo County, about 140 miles (225 kilometers) northeast of Phoenix. People in the area posted photos and video online of uprooted trees and crumpled structures. Significant damage and minor injuries were reported, the county sheriff's office said in a statement. There are about 3,000 people in the community.
State Rep. Walt Blackman, whose district covers parts of the county, requested a state of emergency declaration.
“We have families without power, significant property damage, and at least one reported injury,” he said in a statement.
The storm hit as members of the Overgaard Baptist Church were wrapping up a prayer meeting.
“We took some damage, lost a lot of trees, signs, fences and a few windows,” the church posted about the storm Wednesday night. Nerves were rattled, but members were OK.
“We had a great prayer meeting in the women’s restroom,” the post said.
Warm, moist air moving north fuels storms coming off the California coast. Changing winds can make them spin, creating the conditions for tornadoes, said Ryan Bernhart, a weather service meteorologist in Flagstaff.
“This is very unusual for this area at this time of the year,” Bernhart said.
Strong winds toppled trees in Flagstaff and Mesa, with some landing on walls and carports. A few dozen ponderosa pines over 30 feet (9 meters) tall fell down in the Coconino National Forest, northwest of Flagstaff.
“These are not small trees that are down,” Bernhart said. “These are pretty strong trees that had been knocked down.”
Hill reported from Las Vegas. Associated Press writer Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire, contributed to this report.
Storms uprooted trees in widespread damage at a local church complex after storms hit the area, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026, in Mesa, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Tree debris obstructs part of a street as storms caused damage at a local apartment complex, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026, in Mesa, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Uprooted trees cause damage at a local apartment complex after storms hit the area, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026, in Mesa, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
