North Carolina Layoffs — February 2026
Employers in North Carolina logged 12 WARN Act notices in February 2026, involving roughly 1,147 workers — falling below January and up 58% versus February 2025. The average filing covered 96 workers, with 0 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Finance & Insurance | 3 | 357 |
| Manufacturing | 4 | 331 |
| Retail | 2 | 227 |
| Admin & Support Services | 1 | 94 |
| Accommodation & Food | 1 | 75 |
The Finance & Insurance sector dominated layoff filings with 357 workers across 3 notices. Meanwhile, Manufacturing reported 331 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Wake | 5 | 486 |
| Iredell | 1 | 178 |
| Durham | 2 | 154 |
| Edgecombe | 1 | 123 |
| Pitt | 1 | 94 |
Wake bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 42% of all affected workers with 486 workers across 5 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Raleigh | 4 | 432 |
| Mooresville | 1 | 178 |
| Durham | 2 | 154 |
| Tarboro | 1 | 123 |
| Greenville | 1 | 94 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 12 | 1,147 |
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowe's | Mooresville | 178 | Layoff | |
| Merck Sharp & Dohme | Durham | 147 | Layoff | |
| Wells Fargo | Raleigh | 127 | Layoff | |
| Corning | Tarboro | 123 | Layoff | |
| Wells Fargo | Raleigh | 118 | Layoff | |
| Wells Fargo | Raleigh | 112 | Layoff | |
| Focus Services | Greenville | 94 | Layoff | |
| GMRI, Inc. dba Bahama Breeze | Raleigh | 75 | Layoff | |
| LTI Holdings Inc. DBA Boyd | Monroe | 63 | Layoff | |
| Avantor Fluid Handling | Morrisville | 54 | Layoff | |
| Lowe's | Charlotte | 49 | Layoff | |
| Merck Sharp & Dohme | Durham | 7 | Layoff |
The biggest impact was at Lowe's at its Mooresville facility, reporting 178 affected workers. Merck Sharp & Dohme followed with 147 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This data points to a mixed picture for North Carolina's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. The Finance & Insurance sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This analysis is based on official WARN Act filings reported by North Carolina. The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act requires employers with 100+ employees to provide 60-day advance notice of mass layoffs and plant closings. Data is updated daily by WARN Firehose. View all North Carolina WARN notices, browse layoffs by state, or download the full dataset.