The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits last week fell to the lowest level in four months.

The Labor Department reported Thursday that applications for jobless claims fell by 4,000 to 218,000 for the week of Sept. 21. That's fewer than the 224,000 analysts were expecting. Last week's figure was revised up by 3,000.

The four-week average of claims, which evens out some of weekly volatility, fell by 3,500 to 224,750.

The total number of Americans collecting jobless benefits rose by 13,000 to about 1.83 million for the week of Sept. 14.

Applications for jobless benefits are widely considered a proxy for U.S. layoffs in a given week.