The number of Americans filing new applications for unemployment benefits increased more than expected last week, but remained at levels consistent with a healthy labor market.

Initial jobless claims rose by 14,000 to 217,000 in the week ending Jan. 11, in part due to a spike in claims from wildfire-ravaged California, the Labor Department said Thursday. Economists polled by The Wall Street Journal had estimated new claims would rise by 9,

The number of Americans who filed for initial jobless benefits rose last week, according to the Department of Labor, but remained within the range that has become typical in recent months. The week through Jan.