Essex County, MA jobs, unemployment and layoffs

Essex County’s unemployment rate is 4.3%. Employers filed 1 layoff notices here in the last 12 months. 395 open professional jobs are in its cities.

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Essex County economy

4.3%
unemployment, Sep 2026
4.5% the month before
439,969
in the labor force
Source: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics
807,258
people in Essex County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
$99,431
median household income
Source: Census ACS
46%
of workers in white-collar occupations
Management, business, financial and professional; Census ACS

Where Essex County ranks

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

November 2026

#8Best counties for laid-off professionals in New England48 / 100 · of 12
#9Fastest-growing job markets in New England+2.1% · of 24
#9Counties with the most job openings per unemployed person in New England2 per 100 · of 12
#10Best county job markets for job seekers in New England36 / 100 · of 12
#14Counties with the highest share of white-collar workers in New England46% · of 42
#14Counties with the most jobs in AI-exposed sectors in New England17% · of 31

Essex County outlook: Steady

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

Private-sector jobs up 2.1% from 2022 to 2025
Population up 2.3% from 2020 to 2025
Unemployment 4.3%, down 0.2 points from a year ago
Sectors adding the most jobs: health care (+5,381 jobs), transportation & warehousing (+5,332 jobs)
Sectors losing the most jobs: admin & staffing (−1,564 jobs), finance & insurance (−1,314 jobs)

Learn and get funded in Essex 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.

Essex County layoffs

1
Layoff notices, last 12 months
53
workers named
A floor: states may leave out counts
1
employer

Layoff notices filed in Essex County, newest first
Notice date	Employer	City or county	Workers	Type	Source
Sep 25, 2026	Updated Revvity	Lawrence	53	—	State record

All layoff notices in the state

Employers hiring most in Essex 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.

RTX60 open roles
Applied Materials17 open roles
Vicor15 open roles
General Electric14 open roles
Mercury Systems12 open roles
Hewlett Packard Enterprise9 open roles
Hexcel6 open roles
Mersen USA GS6 open roles
Microchip Technology5 open roles
Vinfen5 open roles

Colleges in Essex County

Colleges in Essex County
College	City	Type	Students
Merrimack College	North Andover	Private non-profit 4-year	5,000–9,999
Salem State University	Salem	Public 4-year	5,000–9,999
Endicott College	Beverly	Private non-profit 4-year	1,000–4,999
Gordon College	Wenham	Private non-profit 4-year	1,000–4,999
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary	South Hamilton	Private non-profit 4-year	1,000–4,999
Massachusetts School of Law	Andover	Private non-profit 4-year	Under 1,000
Montserrat College of Art	Beverly	Private non-profit 4-year	Under 1,000
Northpoint Bible College	Haverhill	Private non-profit 4-year	Under 1,000

Workforce development and job centers

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

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

MassHire Merrimack Valley Workforce Board
Towns: Amesbury, Andover, Boxford, Georgetown, Groveland, Haverhill, Lawrence, Merrimac, Methuen, Newbury, Newburyport, North Andover, Rowley, Salisbury, West Newbury
MassHire-North Shore Workforce Board
Towns: Beverly, Danvers, Essex, Gloucester, Hamilton, Ipswich, Lynn, Lynnfield, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Marblehead, Middleton, Nahant, Peabody, Rockport, Salem, Saugus, Swampscott, Topsfield, Wenham

MassHire Merrimack Valley Career Center - Lawrence
Lawrence · Comprehensive · 978-722-7000
8:00-4:30 Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday; 8:00 - 2:30 Wednesday
MassHire-North Shore Youth Career Center
Lynn, · Affiliate · 781-691-7430
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday - 8:30am - 5:00pm, Tuesday 8:30am - 7:00 pm, Friday 8:30am - 2:00 pm
MassHire North Shore Career Center
Salem · Comprehensive · 978-825-7200
Mon - Thur 8:30am - 5pm; Fri 9:30am - 5pm

Cities in Essex County

Show all 17

Other Massachusetts counties

All of Massachusetts

Laid off or looking for work in Essex 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 Massachusetts’s published record; job counts from our live job board; IPEDS for colleges; CareerOneStop for workforce boards and job centers. Massachusetts unemployment benefits and severance rules.

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