The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits rose 14,000 to a seasonally adjusted 266,000 for the week ended 23 July, the Labor Department said.
The four-week moving average of claims, considered a better measure of labor market trends as it irons out week-to-week volatility, fell 1,000 to 256,500 last week, the lowest level since April.
Continuing claims increased 7,000 to 2.14 million in the week ended 16 July.