Unemployment applications by state, at a glance

The number of people applying for unemployment benefits plummeted last week, a sign that the job market is slowly improving. Applications dropped by 34,000 to 388,000 in the week ending Dec. 25, the Labor Department said. The number has fallen or remained the same in five of the past six weeks.

Here are the states with the largest changes in applications, and some of the reasons for the shifts. The data is for the week ending Dec. 18, one week behind the nationwide figures.

States with the largest declines:

California: Down 7,656, due to fewer layoffs in agriculture

Illinois: Down 3,149, due to fewer layoffs in construction and services

Georgia: Down 1,935, due to fewer layoffs in the construction, trade, service and manufacturing industries

Pennsylvania: Down 1,574, due to fewer layoffs in the construction and industrial machinery industries

Texas: Down 1,494, due to fewer layoffs in trade and manufacturing

States with the largest increases:

New Jersey: Up 5,235, due to layoffs in the construction, services, transportation and manufacturing industries

Michigan: Up 3,087, due to layoffs in the auto industry

Missouri: Up 2,404, due to layoffs in construction and services

Florida: Up 2,281, due to layoffs in services, manufacturing and agriculture

Oregon: Up 2,026, no reason given