Manatee County, FL jobs, unemployment and layoffs

Manatee County’s unemployment rate is 4.6%. No layoff notices here in the last 12 months. 78 open professional jobs are in its cities.

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Manatee County economy

4.6%
unemployment, Sep 2026
4.6% the month before
202,610
in the labor force
Source: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics
416,020
people in Manatee County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
$75,792
median household income
Source: Census ACS
39%
of workers in white-collar occupations
Management, business, financial and professional; Census ACS

Where Manatee County ranks

Where Manatee County placed in our monthly rankings, month by month. Each month stays online at its own address.

November 2026

#22Fastest-growing job markets in the Southeast+9.6% · of 100

Manatee County outlook: Building

Built from public Bureau of Labor Statistics and Census figures. It describes the area, not any one employer in it.

Private-sector jobs up 9.6% from 2022 to 2025
Population up 16.6% from 2020 to 2025
Unemployment 4.6%, unchanged from a year ago
Sectors adding the most jobs: construction (+2,409 jobs), health care (+2,290 jobs)

Local job-market news

Recent headlines about layoffs, AI and jobs in Manatee County. Each link goes to the publisher.

How a 50-year Sarasota pet store ended up nearly emptySixers Wire · Oct 29, 2026
Manatee steel plant to close, 55 job cuts plannedBusiness Observer · Oct 19, 2026
Nebraska steel manufacturer to close Sarasota facility, lay off employeesThe Business Journals · Oct 19, 2026
Sarasota recycling facility introduces AI sorting machineBay News 9 · Oct 13, 2026
Downtown Sarasota restaurant fire prompts earlier-than-planned closingBusiness Observer · Oct 7, 2026

Learn and get funded in Manatee County

Which AI skills each kind of job asks for, with the pay premium.
Your local workforce board and American Job Centers: training vouchers and re-employment help.
Grants and funding for job seekers, ranked for your state and situation.
Unemployment benefits by state, if you are between jobs.

Manatee County layoffs

No layoff notices naming Manatee County in the last 12 months are on file. The WARN Act covers employers with 100 or more workers, so smaller layoffs are not in it.

All layoff notices in the state

Employers hiring most in Manatee County

Employers with the most open professional roles in this county’s cities. The county is taken from each job’s city, so roles with no city are not counted.

Honeywell International7 open roles
Feld Entertainment6 open roles
Universal Hospital Services6 open roles
Centerstone4 open roles
Universal Health Services4 open roles
American Residential Services2 open roles
Morgan & Morgan2 open roles
Oshkosh2 open roles
State of Florida2 open roles
Violand2 open roles

Colleges in Manatee County

Colleges in Manatee County
College	City	Type	Students
State College of Florida-Manatee-Sarasota	Bradenton	Public 4-year	5,000–9,999
Dragon Rises College of Oriental Medicine	Bradenton	Private non-profit 4-year	Under 1,000

Workforce development and job centers

The public workforce board and American Job Centers serving Manatee County. They offer free help with job search, training and filing for benefits.

Laid off in Florida? How to file for unemployment in Florida (steps, weekly amount and the appeal deadline).

CareerSource Suncoast
Manatee, Sarasota

CareerSource Suncoast
Palmetto · Comprehensive · 941-358-4200
Mon-Thursday 8:30-5:00 Friday- by Appointment only

Cities in Manatee County

Other Florida counties

All of Florida

Laid off or looking for work in Manatee County?

See what to do first and the jobs open near you.

See your options after a layoff

Sources: Census Bureau and BLS (county unemployment is not seasonally adjusted); layoff notices from Florida’s published record; job counts from our live job board; IPEDS for colleges; CareerOneStop for workforce boards and job centers. Florida unemployment benefits and severance rules.

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