North Carolina Layoffs — February 2026
Employers in North Carolina posted 12 WARN Act notices in February 2026, affecting an estimated 1,147 workers — reflecting a cooling compared to 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 |
The Finance & Insurance sector saw the heaviest impact with 357 workers across 3 notices.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Wake | 5 | 486 |
| Iredell | 1 | 178 |
| Durham | 2 | 154 |
| Edgecombe | 1 | 123 |
| Pitt | 1 | 94 |
Wake felt the sharpest impact, 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 largest notice was filed by Lowe's at its Mooresville facility, reporting 178 affected workers. Merck Sharp & Dohme followed with 147 workers.
Trend & Outlook
The trends suggest 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.