(AP image)

(AP) -  The number of people seeking U.S. unemployment aid remained elevated for a second straight week because Superstorm Sandy forced many people to seek temporary benefits.

The Labor Department said Wednesday that first-time applications for benefits fell by 41,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 410,000. That offset only part of the previous week’s surge.

Two weeks ago, the storm drove applications up by 90,000 to 451,000, an 18-month high.

   Here are the states with the biggest increases and decreases in applications:

States with the biggest increases:

New York: Up 43,956, because Superstorm Sandy caused temporary layoffs in construction, restaurants and transportation

New Jersey: Up 31,094, because Sandy caused temporary layoffs in hotels, restaurants, manufacturing, transportation, health care and construction

California: Up 24,693, because of layoffs in the services industry

Pennsylvania: Up 7,037, because Sandy  caused temporary layoffs in construction and transportation

Connecticut: Up 1,808, because of temporary layoffs from Sandy

Wisconsin: Up 1,674, no reason given
States with the biggest decreases:
Ohio: Down 4,996, due to fewer layoffs in manufacturing