The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell 23,000 to a seasonally adjusted 393,000 last week. It was the second straight drop after Superstorm Sandy had driven applications much higher earlier this month. A Labor Department official said the storm had little impact on the data last week.

Here are the states with the biggest increases and decreases in applications. The state level data are for the week ended Nov. 17, one week behind the nationwide figures:

States with the biggest decreases:

New York: Down 30,603, due to fewer layoffs in construction, transportation and food services

California: Down 26,337, no reason given

Pennsylvania: Down 11,451, no reason given

Oregon: Down 1,997, no reason given

North Carolina: Down 1,851, due to fewer layoffs in construction and manufacturing

Connecticut: Down 1,619, no reason given

States with the biggest increases:

Florida: Up 1,534, no reason given

Michigan: Up 1,427, no reason given

Massachusetts: Up 1,189, no reason given