Middlesex County, MA jobs, unemployment and layoffs

Middlesex County’s unemployment rate is 3.8%. Employers filed 4 layoff notices here in the last 12 months. 4,071 open professional jobs are in its cities.

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Middlesex County economy

3.8%
unemployment, Sep 2026
4.1% the month before
932,913
in the labor force
Source: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics
1,622,896
people in Middlesex County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
$126,779
median household income
Source: Census ACS
61%
of workers in white-collar occupations
Management, business, financial and professional; Census ACS

Where Middlesex County ranks

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

November 2026

#1Counties with the highest share of white-collar workers in New England61% · of 42
#2Best counties for laid-off professionals in New England67 / 100 · of 12
#2Counties with the most job openings per unemployed person in New England11 per 100 · of 12
#2Counties with the highest share of white-collar workers in the Northeast61% · of 100
#2Counties with the most jobs in AI-exposed sectors in New England35% · of 31
#3Counties with the most job openings per unemployed person in the Northeast11 per 100 · of 51

Middlesex 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 down 2.8% from 2022 to 2025
Population up 2.8% from 2020 to 2025
Unemployment 3.8%, down 0.3 points from a year ago
Sectors adding the most jobs: health care (+8,939 jobs), management of companies (+5,973 jobs)
Sectors losing the most jobs: professional & technical (−18,366 jobs), admin & staffing (−7,990 jobs)

Local job-market news

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

Iconic Cambridge dive bar not reopening after closing over severe water damageMassLive · Nov 6, 2026
Cambridge Common, Café Barada will closeCambridge Day · Nov 1, 2026
Former Wachusett Potato Chip factory in Fitchburg to close in DecemberWorcester Telegram on MSN · Oct 28, 2026
Fitchburg's Former Wachusett Chip Plant Closing, 62 Jobs Lost by DecemberHoodline · Oct 28, 2026
Kempner hosts Mass AI Hub grant award celebrationHarvard Gazette · Oct 27, 2026
Lowell data center splits a Massachusetts mill townYahoo · Oct 26, 2026
Cambridge to lay off 60 workersSoutheast Iowa Union · Oct 19, 2026
Fairfield’s Cambridge Investment Research Notifies State of Layoffs, Company Cites Organizational RestructuringOttumwa Radio · Oct 16, 2026

Learn and get funded in Middlesex 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.

Middlesex County layoffs

4
Layoff notices, last 12 months
422
workers named
A floor: states may leave out counts
4
employers

Layoff notices filed in Middlesex County, newest first
Notice date	Employer	City or county	Workers	Type	Source
Sep 2, 2026	TScan Therapeutics Inc.Takes effect Nov 2, 2026	Waltham	96	—	State record
Aug 24, 2026	P1 Logistics LLC	Littleton	77	—	State record
Aug 12, 2026	Updated EMD Serono Research Development Institute, Inc.	Billerica	20	—	State record
Aug 7, 2026	Blueprint Medicines Corporation	Cambridge	229	—	State record

All layoff notices in the state

Employers hiring most in Middlesex 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.

RTX197 open roles
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Lincoln Lab)85 open roles
Takeda Development Center Americas75 open roles
Formlabs74 open roles
Boston Dynamics68 open roles
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals63 open roles
Macom61 open roles
Anduril Industries58 open roles
Tutor Intelligence54 open roles
Lila Sciences53 open roles

Largest employers headquartered in Middlesex County

Hubspotabout 8,200 employees (2024)
The TJX Companies100,000+ employees
Boston Scientific20,001–100,000 employees
Harvard University20,001–100,000 employees
Akamai Technologies5,001–20,000 employees
Biogen5,001–20,000 employees
Tufts University5,001–20,000 employees
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals1,001–5,000 employees

Employee counts with a year are published figures (Wikidata). Other sizes are estimates from our company directory, not payroll counts.

Colleges in Middlesex County

Colleges in Middlesex County
College	City	Type	Students
Harvard University	Cambridge	Private non-profit 4-year	20,000+
Boston College	Chestnut Hill	Private non-profit 4-year	10,000–19,999
Massachusetts Institute of Technology	Cambridge	Private non-profit 4-year	10,000–19,999
Tufts University	Medford	Private non-profit 4-year	10,000–19,999
University of Massachusetts-Lowell	Lowell	Public 4-year	10,000–19,999
Bentley University	Waltham	Private non-profit 4-year	5,000–9,999
Brandeis University	Waltham	Private non-profit 4-year	5,000–9,999
Framingham State University	Framingham	Public 4-year	1,000–4,999
Hult International Business School	Cambridge	Private non-profit 4-year	1,000–4,999
Lasell University	Newton	Private non-profit 4-year	1,000–4,999
Lesley University	Cambridge	Private non-profit 4-year	1,000–4,999
Regis College	Weston	Private non-profit 4-year	1,000–4,999
Hebrew College	Newton	Private non-profit 4-year	Under 1,000
Longy School of Music of Bard College	Cambridge	Private non-profit 4-year	Under 1,000
Pope St John XXIII National Seminary	Weston	Private non-profit 4-year	Under 1,000
William James College	Newton	Private non-profit 4-year	Under 1,000

Conferences in Middlesex County

Industry conferences and trade shows held in Middlesex County. 6 with dates announced.

SCALE Expo
Jan 21, 2027 · Cambridge, MA
Free
MIT Sloan Healthcare and BioInnovations Conference
Feb 25 to Feb 26, 2027 · Cambridge, MA
Paid ticket, price not listed
AI in EDU Summit
Apr 2, 2027 · Waltham, MA
Paid ticket, price not listed
Global AI Summit
Apr 6, 2027 · Waltham, MA
By invitation only
Crossroads
Apr 7, 2027 · Cambridge, MA
Paid ticket, price not listed
MIT Sloan CIO Symposium
May 18, 2027 · Cambridge, MA
Paid ticket. Price not seen.
dmi:Design Leadership Conference
Usually September (next dates not announced) · Cambridge, MA
Ticket $1,100 to $1,300. 2026 fees per dmi.org: members $1,100, non-members $1,300; 2027 not announced.
MIT CDOIQ Symposium
Usually July (next dates not announced) · Cambridge, MA
Ticket $950 to $1,950. 2027 pricing not published; prior editions listed roughly $950 to $1,950.
Leading Tribal Nations Executive Education Program
Usually December (next dates not announced) · Cambridge, MA
Apply to attend. $3,500 per participant including lodging and meals; page gives conflicting Dec 6-11 and Dec 7-12 dates
MIT ETA Summit
Usually February (next dates not announced) · Cambridge, MA
Paid ticket. 2026 edition (Feb 27-28) sold out/closed; 2027 not announced.

All conferences

Workforce development and job centers

The public workforce board and American Job Centers serving Middlesex 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 Greater Lowell Workforce Board
Towns: Billerica, Chelmsford, Dracut, Dunstable, Lowell, Tewksbury, Tyngsborough, Westford
MassHire North Central Workforce Board
Towns: Ashburnham, Ashby, Ayer, Barre, Berlin, Bolton, Clinton, Fitchburg, Gardner, Groton, Harvard, Hubbardston, Lancaster, Leominster, Lunenburg, Pepperell, Princeton, Shirley, Sterling, Templeton, Townsend, Westminster, Winchendon
Metro North Regional Employment Board
Towns: Arlington, Belmont, Burlington, Cambridge, Chelsea, Everett, Malden, Medford, Melrose, North Reading, Reading, Revere, Somerville, Stoneham, Wakefield, Watertown, Wilmington, Winchester, Winthrop, Woburn
Metro South/West Workforce Board, Inc.
Towns: Acton, Ashland, Bedford, Bellingham, Boxborough, Brookline, Canton, Carlisle, Concord, Dedham, Dover, Foxborough, Framingham, Franklin, Holliston, Hopkinton, Hudson, Lexington, Lincoln, Littleton, Marlborough, Maynard, Medfield, Medway, Millis, Natick, Needham, Newton, Norfolk, Norwood, Plainville, Sharon, Sherborn, Southborough, Stow, Sudbury, Walpole, Waltham, Wayland, Wellesley, Weston, Westwood, Wrentham

MassHire Metro North Career Center in Cambridge
Cambridge · Comprehensive · 617-661-7867
Mon - Fri 8:30am-4:30pm
MassHire Framingham Career Center
Framingham · Comprehensive · 508-861-7993
Mon - Thurs 8:45am - 4:30pm; Fri 9:45am - 4:30pm- Virtual Only
MassHire Lowell Career Center
Lowell · Comprehensive · 978-458-2503
Mon, Wed, Thur 8:00am - 5:00pm, Tues 8:00am-8pm; Friday 8:00am-12:00pm
MassHire Metro North Career Center
Woburn · Comprehensive · 781-932-5500
Monday - Friday 8:30am - 4:30pm

Other Massachusetts counties

All of Massachusetts

Laid off or looking for work in Middlesex 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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