Wake County, NC jobs, unemployment and layoffs
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Show me jobs near meWake County economy
2.8%
unemployment, Sep 2026
3.1% the month before
698,382
in the labor force
Source: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics
1,151,009
people in Wake County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
$101,763
median household income
Source: Census ACS
57%
of workers in white-collar occupations
Management, business, financial and professional; Census ACS
Where Wake County ranks
Where Wake County placed in our monthly rankings, month by month. Each month stays online at its own address.
November 2026
- #1Best county job markets for job seekers in the Southeast87 / 100 · of 77
- #2Best county job markets for job seekers90 / 100 · of 100
- #2Best counties for laid-off professionals in the Southeast84 / 100 · of 77
- #3Best counties for laid-off professionals84 / 100 · of 100
- #8Counties with the most jobs in AI-exposed sectors in the Southeast34% · of 100
- #10Counties with the highest share of white-collar workers in the Southeast57% · of 100
Wake 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 7.3% from 2022 to 2025
- Population up 11.2% from 2020 to 2025
- Unemployment 2.8%, down 0.3 points from a year ago
- Sectors adding the most jobs: health care (+14,686 jobs), construction (+5,705 jobs)
- Sectors losing the most jobs: transportation & warehousing (−452 jobs)
Local job-market news
Recent headlines about layoffs, AI and jobs in Wake 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 Wake 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.
Wake County layoffs
11
Layoff notices, last 12 months
908
workers named
A floor: states may leave out counts
11
employers
| Notice date | Employer | City or county | Workers | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frito Lay, Inc.Takes effect Sep 6, 2026 | Wake County | 65 | Closure | State record | |
| Asensus Surgical, Inc.Takes effect Mar 31, 2027 | Wake County | 108 | Layoff | State record | |
| UbisoftTakes effect Aug 10, 2026 | Wake County | 17 | Layoff | State record | |
| Republic National Distributing Company, LLCTakes effect Sep 29, 2026 | Wake County | 14 | Closure | State record | |
| Epic GamesTakes effect Mar 27, 2026 | Wake County | 211 | Layoff | State record | |
| Red Storm Entertainment, Inc.Takes effect Sep 18, 2026 | Wake County | 105 | Layoff | State record | |
| Saks & Company LLCTakes effect May 31, 2026 | Wake County | 43 | Layoff | State record | |
| Avantor Fluid Handling, LLCTakes effect Jul 10, 2026 | Wake County | 54 | Closure | State record | |
| Wells FargoTakes effect Jun 27, 2026 | Wake County | 138 | Layoff | State record | |
| GMRI, Inc. dba Bahama BreezeTakes effect Apr 5, 2026 | Wake County | 75 | Closure | State record | |
| Avelo Airlines, Inc.Takes effect Mar 6, 2026 | Wake County | 78 | Closure | State record |
Employers hiring most in Wake 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.
- First Citizens Bank69 open roles
- Epic Games34 open roles
- Wake County Public School System28 open roles
- Dewberry27 open roles
- MaintainX23 open roles
- Eaton21 open roles
- Teleflex19 open roles
- Bandwidth18 open roles
- IXL Learning18 open roles
- Charter Communications17 open roles
Largest employers headquartered in Wake County
- Wake Technical Community College1,001–5,000 employees
Employee counts with a year are published figures (Wikidata). Other sizes are estimates from our company directory, not payroll counts.
Colleges in Wake County
| College | City | Type | Students |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina State University at Raleigh | Raleigh | Public 4-year | 20,000+ |
| Meredith College | Raleigh | Private non-profit 4-year | 1,000–4,999 |
| Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary | Wake Forest | Private non-profit 4-year | 1,000–4,999 |
| Saint Augustine's University | Raleigh | Private non-profit 4-year | Under 1,000 |
| Shaw University | Raleigh | Private non-profit 4-year | Under 1,000 |
| Shepherds Theological Seminary | Cary | Private non-profit 4-year | Under 1,000 |
| Southeastern Free Will Baptist Bible College | Wendell | Private non-profit 4-year | Under 1,000 |
| William Peace University | Raleigh | Private non-profit 4-year | Under 1,000 |
Conferences in Wake County
Industry conferences and trade shows held in Wake County. 7 with dates announced.
- PDA Miniverse Conference
Mar 15 to Mar 17, 2027 · Raleigh, NC
Paid ticket. Registration coming soon.
Open call for speakers · deadline Feb 1, 2027
- PDA Annual Meeting (PDA Week)
Mar 15 to Mar 17, 2027 · Raleigh, NC
Paid ticket. Fees not yet published; PDA Week runs Mar 14-18 with pre-meeting events.
Open call for speakers · deadline Aug 31, 2026
- APPA Engineering & Operations Conference
Apr 11 to Apr 14, 2027 · Raleigh, NC
Ticket $995 to $2,090. Early bird by Feb 22: $995 member / $1,990 non-member; later $1,095 / $2,090; preconference seminars $395.
- Pendomonium
May 3 to May 5, 2027 · Raleigh, NC
Paid ticket. Save-the-date; registration price not yet published.
- Training Industry Conference & Expo (TICE)
Jun 8 to Jun 10, 2027 · Raleigh, NC
Paid ticket. Fees not read.
Open call for speakers
- SCUP Annual Conference
Jul 18 to Jul 20, 2027 · Raleigh, NC
Paid ticket. Price not listed on the overview page.
- All Things Open
Oct 17 to Oct 19, 2027 · Raleigh, NC
Paid ticket. 2027 pricing not yet published.
Open call for speakers
- FPA of the Triangle Annual Symposium
Usually October (next dates not announced) · Raleigh, NC
Ticket $50 to $275. 2026 edition: member $225, non-member $275, student $50
Workforce development and job centers
The public workforce board and American Job Centers serving Wake 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 Career Center- Capital Area (Raleigh-Swinburne)
Raleigh · Affiliate · 919-212-7104
Mon-Thurs 8:30am - 5:00pm Fri 8:30am-2:00pm
NCWorks Career Center- Capital Area (Raleigh)
Raleigh · Comprehensive · 919-715-0111
Mon. - Thurs. 8:30 am - 5:00 pm Fri 8:30am-2:00pm
NCWorks Career Center- Capital Area (Swinburne Street)
Raleigh · Affiliate · 919-250-3770
Mon-Thurs. 8:30am -5:00pm Fri 8:30am-2:00pm
NCWorks Career Center- Capital Area (Wake Forest)
Wake Forest · Affiliate · 919-562-6379
Mon -Thurs 8:30am -5:00pm Fri 8:30am-2:00pm
Cities in Wake County
Other North Carolina counties
Laid off or looking for work in Wake 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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