Guide · WARN Act
State WARN Laws vs. Federal WARN
Many states have their own mini-WARN laws with lower thresholds and broader coverage. Understanding the differences matters for workers in those states.
California, New York, and Illinois have stricter WARN Act laws than the federal baseline
Federal WARN generally requires 60 days' notice for covered employers and qualifying events. California's Cal-WARN lowers the threshold to 75+ employees; New York's mini-WARN law covers 50+ employees but requires 90 days' notice, longer than the federal floor; Illinois matches California's 75+ threshold. Workers in these states can be protected even when a layoff would not trigger federal WARN.
Several states pull the notice trigger below the federal floor, California (75 employees), New York (50), Illinois (75/25) - so the state where the worksite sits, not the federal statute alone, decides whether a notice is owed.
Amazon filing #1 is not United Airlines workers #1
According to WARN Act filings submitted to state workforce agencies, Amazon ranks #1 of 7,009 by recorded WARN filing count (114 notices, 41,969 workers, workers rank #2). United Airlines ranks #1 of 7,009 by workers on notice (42,706 workers across 9 filings, filing rank #35). The most frequent filer is not the largest worker total.
- Amazon 114 filings · workers rank #2
- United Airlines 42,706 workers · filing rank #35
The short answer
Federal WARN sets a 60-day floor for layoffs of 100+ employees, but several states stack lower headcount triggers, longer notice, and steeper penalties on top, so where a layoff happens changes what workers are owed.
Where the filings land
WARN notices by state
- 9,006
- WARN notices tracked
- 1,433,550
- Workers on notice
- 7,035
- Employers filing
Most filings is not most workers
Recorded WARN notice count for the filing #1 and workers #1 employers among 7,009 in this pool
- Amazon
Amazon
114 filings
- United Airlines 9
United Airlines
9 filings
What this shows Amazon leads the filing-count ranking; United Airlines leads workers on notice in the same pool.
States with the most workers on WARN notice
Total workers listed on WARN notices, by state of filing, federal & state WARN-Act records
- Texas
Texas - 286,423 workers across 2,414 notices
286,423 workers
- Washington
Washington - 237,737 workers across 1,071 notices
237,737 workers
- California
California - 201,932 workers across 1,205 notices
201,932 workers
- Indiana
Indiana - 151,425 workers across 1,001 notices
151,425 workers
- Virginia
Virginia - 124,054 workers across 1,024 notices
124,054 workers
- Oregon 65,152
Oregon - 65,152 workers across 379 notices
65,152 workers
- Maryland 61,606
Maryland - 61,606 workers across 629 notices
61,606 workers
- Illinois 58,300
Illinois - 58,300 workers across 5 notices
58,300 workers
Why This Matters
Warn act mass layoff tracking data is increasingly important for workers, job seekers, journalists, policymakers. However, raw data without context can be misleading. Numbers that appear alarming may reflect normal patterns when viewed in historical context, and seemingly stable figures may hide significant underlying shifts. This guide provides the framework for interpreting the data on PlainLayoffs with appropriate nuance.
The challenge is that WARN Act mass layoff tracking data comes from government sources (U.S. Department of Labor / State Workforce Agencies) that were designed for regulatory compliance and statistical reporting, not for the questions that most people are actually trying to answer. Understanding the gap between what the data measures and what you need to know is essential for drawing valid conclusions.
Key Concepts
What the data captures: Official records from U.S. Department of Labor / State Workforce Agencies provide a structured view of WARN Act mass layoff tracking across the United States. These records follow standardized reporting requirements, which means the data is consistent and comparable across geographic areas and time periods. This consistency is the primary strength of government data, it enables apples-to-apples comparison.
What the data misses: No dataset captures everything. Government reporting has coverage gaps, reporting delays, and definitional boundaries that exclude certain activities or populations. Always check the scope and coverage notes on our about page before drawing conclusions from the data.
How to contextualize: Numbers are most meaningful when compared, against historical baselines, geographic peers, or industry averages. A figure that looks high in isolation may be perfectly normal for its category. Always compare within the appropriate reference group.
Practical Steps
Step 1, Start with the big picture. Before drilling into specific records, check the broad trends. What is the overall direction? Is the pattern you are investigating part of a larger trend or an isolated anomaly?
Step 2, Compare appropriately. When evaluating any specific data point on PlainLayoffs, compare it against similar entities rather than the national average. Geographic, industry, and size differences create natural variation that makes broad comparisons misleading.
Step 3, Check the source. Every data point on PlainLayoffs ultimately traces back to U.S. Department of Labor / State Workforce Agencies. When the stakes are high, career decisions, policy analysis, research publications, verify critical figures against the primary source. We provide source links on our data pages.
Step 4, Apply judgment. Data is a starting point, not an answer. The best decisions combine quantitative data with qualitative context, local knowledge, expert consultation, and direct observation. Use PlainLayoffs data to narrow your focus and inform your questions, not to replace professional judgment.
Common Misconceptions
One of the most frequent errors when working with WARN Act mass layoff tracking data is treating aggregate statistics as individual predictions. National or state-level averages describe populations, not specific cases. Your individual experience may differ significantly from what aggregate data suggests, and that is expected, averages compress enormous variation into a single number.
Another common mistake is assuming more recent data is always more relevant. Government data typically has a reporting lag. Depending on the dataset, the most recent available figures may describe conditions from 12-24 months ago. Current conditions may have shifted, particularly in rapidly changing sectors or regions.
State-by-State WARN Requirements
Mini-WARN States with Stricter Rules
Several states have enacted their own "mini-WARN" laws that go beyond the federal WARN Act. California, New York, and New Jersey require longer notice periods or cover smaller employers. These state laws can provide additional protections like requiring notice to the state workforce agency, local elected officials, and union representatives.
States with No WARN Coverage
Federal vs. State Thresholds
Federal WARN generally covers employers with 100+ employees, but event, site, workforce-share, timing, and exception rules also matter. State mini-WARN laws often lower the employer threshold. New York applies to employers with 50+ employees, while California covers employers with 75+ workers. These differences mean a layoff that triggers state notification requirements may not trigger federal ones. See the WARN Act overview for the federal baseline.
Enforcement and Penalties by State
Federal WARN violations carry liability of up to 60 days back pay per affected employee. State penalties vary widely: California imposes up to 60 days back pay plus $500 per day per violation, while Illinois adds civil penalties up to $500 per affected employee. Employers in states with stricter mini-WARN laws face higher financial exposure. For actual layoff data by state, explore our state-level analysis and industry breakdowns.
Roughly half of US states rely solely on the federal WARN Act, which applies only to employers with 100+ full-time employees. Workers at smaller companies in these states have no advance notice requirement. Some states are considering legislation to close this gap, particularly as remote work makes employer location harder to pin down.
| State | Notice Period | Employee Threshold |
|---|---|---|
| Federal WARN | 60 days | 100+ employees |
| California | 60 days | 75+ employees |
| New York | 90 days | 50+ employees |
| New Jersey | 60 days | 100+ employees |
Source: State workforce agency regulations. Requirements may have been updated since compilation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What data does PlainLayoffs use?
PlainLayoffs uses data from U.S. Department of Labor / State Workforce Agencies. All data comes from public government sources and is processed through our ETL pipeline for searchability and analysis.
How often is the data updated?
We update our database as new data becomes available from U.S. Department of Labor / State Workforce Agencies. Update frequency depends on the source agency's release schedule, which varies from weekly to annually depending on the dataset.
Is PlainLayoffs free to use?
Yes. PlainLayoffs is completely free, requires no account, and is supported by non-intrusive advertising. We believe public data should be freely accessible.
Worked example: putting the notice period in context
Consider an employer planning a covered layoff with a separation date 60 days away. Federal WARN generally applies to employers with 100 or more employees and requires at least 60 calendar days' advance written notice for covered plant closings and mass layoffs. California's WARN rules generally require 60 days' notice for covered employers with 75 or more employees, while New York's WARN Act requires 90 days' notice for covered private businesses with 50 or more full-time employees. The applicable rule depends on the facts, including the employer, location, affected workforce, and any statutory exception.
Verified starting points
| Jurisdiction | General rule | Official guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Federal WARN | Generally 60 calendar days for covered plant closings and mass layoffs. | U.S. Department of Labor |
| California WARN | Generally 60 days for covered employers and covered events. | California EDD |
| New York WARN | Generally 90 days for covered private businesses. | New York Department of Labor |
A WARN notice is a legal notice, not a courtesy; the applicable federal and state rules should be checked before anyone relies on a date.
How to use PlainLayoffs data to understand your situation
Start with the WARN Act overview to grasp your federal protections, then check state-level WARN extensions - California, New York, New Jersey, and Illinois each have stronger protections than federal law. Use the company layoff history to research employer patterns before accepting an offer, and the state-level filing tracker to see active WARN notices in your region. For navigating an active layoff, the navigation guide walks through severance review, COBRA timing, and unemployment filing windows. Every notice we publish comes directly from state Department of Labor WARN filings, public records by statute, with vintage stamps on every record.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor / state workforce agencies WARN Act public disclosure reports and state registries compiled by PlainLayoffs · September 2026 Guide figures that cite live portal counts come from this database; legal thresholds and illustrative examples cite public statutes.
What to do with this
Always check the mini-WARN rules for the worksite state.
- Compare published state thresholds against the federal floor. Federal overview
- Open the state page for filings already on record. Browse states
- Run the eligibility checker with your headcount and cut size. Eligibility checker
State statutes change; verify against the state workforce agency before relying on a threshold in a legal setting.
The live counts on this guide are rendered directly from the PlainLayoffs database. Legal thresholds, historical examples, and illustrative figures cited in the guide text come from public statutes and general industry context, not this portal's live database. This guide's WARN Act figures are drawn directly from state filings. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 2026. A WARN filing is a legally required notice, not a judgment of a company's management or financial health; rankings here reflect filed notice volume only.