WASHINGTON, Oct 14 (Reuters) - The number of people filing new claims for unemployment insurance rose to a higher-than-expected 462,000 in the latest week, the Labor Department said on Thursday, while the number of people still collecting jobless benefits fell to an almost two-year low. First-time jobless claims rose 13,000 in the week ended Oct. 9 from the prior week's upwardly revised 449,000 seasonally adjusted claims. The four-week average of first-time jobless benefits, which economists prefer because it smoothes out weekly fluctuations, rose 2,250 to 459,000. Economists polled by Reuters had expected about initial 445,000 claims in the latest week. The number of unemployed workers continuing to collect insurance benefits fell 112,000 to 4.399 million in the week ended Oct. 2, the lowest level since November 2008. The four-week average of continuing claims fell 34,500 to 4.489 million. Economists were expecting about 4.450 million continuing claims. The unemployment rate of workers eligible for jobless benefits from the government fell to 3.5 percent from 3.6 percent in the prior week. (Reporting by Corbett B. Daly; Editing by Andrea Ricci)