Initial filings for unemployment benefits in Ohio 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 5,460 in the week ending March 2, down from 5,853 the week before, the Labor Department said.

U.S. unemployment claims remained the same at 217,000 last week on a seasonally adjusted basis.

Virgin Islands saw the largest percentage increase in weekly claims, with claims jumping by 163.6%. Rhode Island, meanwhile, saw the largest percentage drop in new claims, with claims dropping by 71.6%.

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.

This article originally appeared on Port Clinton News Herald: Unemployment claims in Ohio declined last week