How many layoffs has North Carolina seen in 2026? The WARN notices in the Layoff Atlas archive give a concrete answer: 62 notices filed so far this year, reporting 6,264 affected workers. Here's what those numbers mean, how 2026 compares with past years, and what to watch as the year winds down.

North Carolina's 2026 numbers so far

Over the last 365 days, the archive contains 88 eligible official filings for North Carolina reporting 7,980 affected workers, and the 2026 year-to-date slice holds 62 notices covering 6,264 reported workers. The newest official notice is dated September 28, 2026, and 14 notices in the archive carry future effective dates — meaning some of this year's reported layoffs are still scheduled to take place.

Year-by-year comparison puts 2026 in perspective:

  • 2026 (so far): 62 notices · 6,264 workers
  • 2025 (full year): 89 notices · 7,365 workers
  • 2024 (full year): 79 notices · 8,183 workers
  • 2023 (full year): 103 notices · 9,058 workers
  • 2022 (full year): 45 notices · 4,803 workers
  • 2021 (full year): 49 notices · 5,604 workers

Two things stand out. First, 2026 is tracking noticeably lighter than 2023–2025 — the worker total is already below 2025's full-year figure with nearly three months left, and filing volume is down by roughly a third against last year. Second, it remains well above the quiet 2021–2022 stretch. If the current pace holds, 2026 will be North Carolina's lightest WARN year since 2022, but not an especially quiet one by historical standards.

The long view is dominated by 2020, when the pandemic produced 375 North Carolina notices reporting 31,431 workers — roughly five times this year's pace. All-time, the archive holds 1,280 non-cancelled North Carolina notices reporting 134,290 affected workers.

September: North Carolina's busiest month in a while

North Carolina's contribution to September's national surge is visible in the site's monthly report: 6 notices and 834 reported workers in September 2026 alone, making it the fourth-heaviest state that month. That single month accounts for about 13% of the state's entire 2026 worker total.

The filing that drove it was MasterBrand Cabinets in Kinston: a 391-worker layoff noticed September 28, 2026, effective November 27, 2026. Other recent filings show the state's manufacturing-heavy mix — Bossong Hosiery Mills closed in Asheboro (122 workers, effective September 9), Elevate Textiles is closing in Burlington (150 workers, effective December 31), Comfort First Heating & Cooling in Sanford is laying off 67 (effective November 16), and Regional Acceptance filed two closure notices (156 workers in Winterville, effective February 2027, and 97 in Greenville, effective July 2027).

Nationally, the Layoff Atlas 90-day window currently tracks 738 notices reporting 68,093 workers, with the heaviest upcoming effective weeks landing on October 31 (7,437 workers) and November 14 (8,216 workers). North Carolina's 14 notices with future effective dates will land somewhere in that national schedule.

How to read these numbers

A few cautions before drawing conclusions:

  • These are reported plans, not confirmed job losses. A WARN notice is an advance filing; the actual number of people who lose work can end up lower (attrition, rescinded plans) or the filing can be cancelled.
  • The North Carolina source is healthy and current. The North Carolina Department of Commerce feed was last successfully checked on October 9, 2026, with official records stretching back to 2014. One notice in the archive has an unavailable worker count, so the true total is marginally higher than reported.
  • WARN coverage is not a census of layoffs. Only layoffs meeting the size and timing thresholds trigger a filing, and reporting rules vary by state. Missing coverage is not zero layoffs — small employers and sub-threshold cuts never appear.

What to watch

Three things will determine how 2026 ends for North Carolina: whether the fourth-quarter filing pace stays below the 2025 comparison, how many of the 14 notices with future effective dates take effect on schedule — especially MasterBrand's 391-worker November event — and whether the national heavy weeks in late October and mid-November include significant North Carolina events. We'll update these figures as new notices arrive.

Data source: Layoff Atlas