Cleveland County, NC jobs, unemployment and layoffs
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Show me jobs near meCleveland County economy
3.7%
unemployment, Sep 2026
4.3% the month before
44,212
in the labor force
Source: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics
100,170
people in Cleveland County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
$55,769
median household income
Source: Census ACS
33%
of workers in white-collar occupations
Management, business, financial and professional; Census ACS
Cleveland 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 1.4% from 2022 to 2025
- Population up 3.4% from 2020 to 2025
- Unemployment 3.7%, down 0.6 points from a year ago
- Sectors losing the most jobs: manufacturing (−1,079 jobs), transportation & warehousing (−459 jobs)
Learn and get funded in Cleveland 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.
Cleveland County layoffs
1
Layoff notices, last 12 months
282
workers named
A floor: states may leave out counts
1
employer
| Notice date | Employer | City or county | Workers | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electric Glass Fiber America, LLCTakes effect Sep 30, 2027 | Cleveland County | 282 | Layoff | State record |
Employers hiring most in Cleveland 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.
- Curtiss Wright9 open roles
- Walmart6 open roles
- Eaton2 open roles
- Strickland Brothers2 open roles
- C.A. Short Company1 open role
- Celanese1 open role
- Cleveland Community College1 open role
- Ensono1 open role
- FDRsafety1 open role
- Humana Government Business1 open role
Colleges in Cleveland County
| College | City | Type | Students |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gardner-Webb University | Boiling Springs | Private non-profit 4-year | 1,000–4,999 |
Workforce development and job centers
The public workforce board and American Job Centers serving Cleveland County. They offer free help with job search, training and filing for benefits.
Laid off in North Carolina? How to file for unemployment in North Carolina (steps, weekly amount and the appeal deadline).
- Foothills Workforce Development Board
Cleveland, McDowell, Polk, Rutherford
NCWorks Career Center- Cleveland County
Shelby · Comprehensive · 704-480-5414
Mon-Thurs 8:30am 5:00pm; Fri 8:30am-12:00pm
Cities in Cleveland County
Other North Carolina counties
Laid off or looking for work in Cleveland County?
See what to do first and the jobs open near you.
See your options after a layoffSources: Census Bureau and BLS (county unemployment is not seasonally adjusted); layoff notices from North Carolina’s published record; job counts from our live job board; IPEDS for colleges; CareerOneStop for workforce boards and job centers. North Carolina unemployment benefits and severance rules.
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