WASHINGTON — American manufacturers sold more cars, airplanes and industrial machinery in foreign markets in July, sending exports to a record high and pushing the trade deficit down to its lowest level in three months, the Commerce Department reported Thursday.

The trade deficit narrowed to $44.8 billion in July, down 13.1 percent from June, an improvement that reflected a 3.6 percent rise in exports to the record level of $178 billion. Imports dipped 0.2 percent to $126.9 billion as the bill for imported oil dropped 6 percent to $35.5 billion as crude oil prices fell.

The big jump in exports should provide critically needed support for growth at a time when the United States economy has been in danger of toppling into a recession.

Also Thursday, the Labor Department said the number of people seeking state unemployment benefits in the United States ticked up slightly last week, rising 2,000 to a seasonally adjusted 414,000.