Orange County, NC jobs, unemployment and layoffs

Orange County’s unemployment rate is 2.8%. Employers filed 1 layoff notices here in the last 12 months. 82 open professional jobs are in its cities.

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Orange County economy

2.8%
unemployment, Sep 2026
3.4% the month before
78,148
in the labor force
Source: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics
147,292
people in Orange County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
$88,553
median household income
Source: Census ACS
61%
of workers in white-collar occupations
Management, business, financial and professional; Census ACS

Where Orange County ranks

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

November 2026

#6Counties with the highest share of white-collar workers in the Southeast61% · of 100
#12Counties with the highest share of white-collar workers61% · of 100

Orange 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 3.8% from 2022 to 2025
Population up 6.1% from 2020 to 2025
Unemployment 2.8%, down 0.6 points from a year ago
Sectors adding the most jobs: manufacturing (+919 jobs), hotels & food (+548 jobs)
Sectors losing the most jobs: retail (−344 jobs)

Local job-market news

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

Fiction Kitchen, a Beloved Vegan Outpost in Raleigh, Will Close Its DoorsINDY Week · Nov 6, 2026
Raleigh's Bloom Collective Café Shuts Oct. 24 as Federal Hemp Crackdown LoomsHoodline · Oct 9, 2026
Raleigh, North Carolina, reduces IT service desk costs by 66% with ServiceNow AI agentsMarketScreener · Oct 8, 2026

Learn and get funded in Orange 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.

Orange County layoffs

1
Layoff notices, last 12 months
91
workers named
A floor: states may leave out counts
1
employer

Layoff notices filed in Orange County, newest first
Notice date	Employer	City or county	Workers	Type	Source
Apr 9, 2026	Compass Group USA Inc. dba ChartwellsTakes effect Jun 12, 2026	Orange County	91	Layoff	State record

All layoff notices in the state

Employers hiring most in Orange 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.

Ipas8 open roles
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill8 open roles
UNC Health4 open roles
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill4 open roles
Robert Half3 open roles
Honorbridge2 open roles
LCS2 open roles
Pivotal Solutions2 open roles
Rolling Green Village2 open roles
Technical Source2 open roles

Colleges in Orange County

Colleges in Orange County
College	City	Type	Students
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	Chapel Hill	Public 4-year	20,000+

Conferences in Orange County

Industry conferences and trade shows held in Orange County. 2 with dates announced.

AI for Public Good Conference
Feb 8, 2027 · Chapel Hill, NC
Paid ticket, price not listed
UNC Cleantech Summit
Apr 5 to Apr 6, 2027 · Chapel Hill, NC
Paid ticket. Registration opens early November

All conferences

Workforce development and job centers

The public workforce board and American Job Centers serving Orange 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).

Capital Area Workforce Development Board
Chatham, Johnston, Lee, Orange, Wake

NCWorks Access Point -Capital Area (Orange County)
Carrboro · Comprehensive · 919-245-4335
Monday - Friday 8:00am-5:00pm

Cities in Orange County

Other North Carolina counties

All of North Carolina

Laid off or looking for work in Orange 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 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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