In a puzzling trend, 16.4% more Lancaster County residents filed new claims for unemployment benefits last week, new data shows. The number of new claims jumped to 744, according to the Lancaster County Workforce Development Board. Itâs the highest weekly number of new claims here since mid-July. However, state Department of Labor & Industry spokeswoman Sarah DeSantis cautioned against drawing conclusions about unemployment in the county based on so little data. âThe data set for a Lancaster County is small enough to be susceptible to volatility,â she said. DeSantis also raised the possibility that upticks in new claims here might be fueled to some degree by increases in fraudulent new claims, which have occurred statewide. She cited no specifics about alleged wrongdoing.Â