Initial filings for unemployment benefits in North Carolina dropped last week compared with the week prior, the U.S. Department of Labor said Thursday.

New jobless claims, a proxy for layoffs, fell to 3,100 in the week ending August 16, down from 3,458 the week before, the Labor Department said.

Kentucky saw the largest percentage increase in weekly claims, with claims jumping by 180.0%. Wyoming, meanwhile, saw the largest percentage drop in new claims, with claims dropping by 33.9%.

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

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