Reuters/Jason Reed
Mervin Sealy from Hickory, North Carolina, takes part in a protest rally outside the Capitol Building in Washington, October 5, 2011. Demonstrators were demanding that Congress create jobs, not make budget cuts during the protest.
Economists forecast that claims fell slightly to 265,000.
Last week, claims rose to 266,000 - slightly above the forecast of 265,000.
As of the previous Thursday, claims have now been below 300,000 for 75 straight weeks.
This is the longest such streak since 1973.