Seasonally adjusted initial unemployment claims rose by 18,000 nationwide in the final week of 2010 compared to the week earlier, according to the U.S. Labor Department.
The seasonally adjusted figure for initial claims for the week ending Jan. 1 was 409,000, up from 391,000 for the week ending Dec. 25. The number was still down from the same week last year, when it stood at 456,000.
The four week moving average continued its decline, falling from 414,250 to 410,750.
Massachusetts had the fifth-largest increase in initial claims among the states, with 2,738 more people filing unemployment claims than in the previous week.
