Ranking · WARN Act records
50 Largest Mass Layoff Events
The single largest layoff and closure events on record, ranked by workers affected. Every row is a real WARN Act filing, click any employer for its full notice history.
- 36,000
- Largest event
- United Airlines
- #1 employer
- 423,065
- Top-50 total
United Airlines's 36,000-worker layoff is the largest recorded WARN Act event
According to WARN Act filings submitted to state workforce agencies, the largest recorded mass layoff was United Airlines in Chicago, IL (filed Oct 1, 2020), affecting 36,000 workers. The top 50 recorded events affected a combined 423,065 workers.
The bar to make this list
A single WARN filing must affect at least 2,800 workers to rank in the top 50, only 50 of 8,971 recorded notices clear that bar.
- 2,800
- workers to rank #50
- 6,224
- median in the top 50
- 14
- states represented
- 13×
- #1 vs #50 cutoff
Each row is one WARN Act filing, not a company lifetime total. Several rounds from the same employer can appear separately.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, each event is a real notice published by a state workforce agency under federal or state WARN processes. Federal WARN generally requires covered employers to give 60 days’ written notice before qualifying plant closings or mass layoffs; coverage depends on the employer, worksite, event size, workforce share, timing, and exceptions. Because the count is per filing, a company that ran several rounds can appear more than once; click any employer to see its full notice history.
Where the top-50 cutoff sits nationally
Distribution of workers affected per single WARN Act filing across every notice in the database, with the #50 cutoff marked.
How big is big? The top-50 cutoff vs. every WARN filing
Workers affected by one WARN Act notice
2,800 Top 1% among 8,971 WARN filings
Each bar is a band of values; taller bars hold more WARN filings. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source State WARN Act filings · September 2026
The ten largest single layoff events
Each bar links to that employer's full WARN notice history. A small number of airline, entertainment, and tech closures account for the very largest single events on record.
| # | Employer | Workers | State | Notice date | Industry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United AirlinesChicago, IL | 36,000 | IL | Oct 1, 2020 | Transportation & Warehousing |
| 2 | DisneyBurbank, CA | 28,000 | CA | Sep 29, 2020 | Arts, Entertainment & Recreation |
| 3 | CitigroupNew York, NY | 20,000 | NY | Jan 12, 2024 | Finance & Insurance |
| 4 | American AirlinesFort Worth, TX | 19,000 | TX | Oct 1, 2020 | Transportation & Warehousing |
| 5 | AmazonSeattle, WA | 18,000 | WA | Jan 18, 2023 | Retail Trade |
| 6 | Delta Air LinesAtlanta, GA | 17,000 | GA | Oct 1, 2020 | Transportation & Warehousing |
| 7 | BoeingSeattle, WA | 16,000 | WA | Jul 29, 2020 | Manufacturing |
| 8 | IntelHillsboro, OR | 15,000 | OR | Aug 1, 2024 | Manufacturing |
| 9 | Bed, Bath & BeyondUnion, NJ | 14,000 | NJ | Apr 23, 2023 | Retail Trade |
| 10 | NokiaDallas, TX | 14,000 | TX | Aug 24, 2023 | Manufacturing |
| 11 | GoogleMountain View, CA | 12,000 | CA | Jan 20, 2023 | Information Technology |
| 12 | IntelHillsboro, OR | 12,000 | OR | Oct 25, 2022 | Manufacturing |
| 13 | Meta PlatformsMenlo Park, CA | 11,000 | CA | Nov 9, 2022 | Information Technology |
| 14 | Meta PlatformsMenlo Park, CA | 10,000 | CA | Mar 14, 2023 | Information Technology |
| 15 | MicrosoftRedmond, WA | 10,000 | WA | Jan 18, 2023 | Information Technology |
| 16 | Walgreens Boots AllianceDeerfield, IL | 10,000 | IL | Oct 12, 2023 | Retail Trade |
| 17 | David's BridalNationwide, WA | 9,266 | WA | Apr 17, 2023 | Other Services |
| 18 | AmazonSeattle, WA | 9,000 | WA | Nov 15, 2023 | Retail Trade |
| 19 | Tuesday MorningDallas, TX | 8,000 | TX | May 24, 2023 | Retail Trade |
| 20 | SalesforceSan Francisco, CA | 7,000 | CA | Jan 4, 2023 | Information Technology |
Show the remaining 30 events (ranks 21-50)
| # | Employer | Workers | State | Notice date | Industry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | DisneyBurbank, CA | 7,000 | CA | Apr 20, 2020 | Arts, Entertainment & Recreation |
| 22 | Southwest AirlinesDallas, TX | 7,000 | TX | Oct 1, 2020 | Transportation & Warehousing |
| 23 | Uber TechnologiesSan Francisco, CA | 6,700 | CA | May 6, 2020 | Transportation & Warehousing |
| 24 | Rivian AutomotiveNormal, IL | 6,700 | IL | Feb 21, 2024 | Manufacturing |
| 25 | Dell TechnologiesRound Rock, TX | 6,650 | TX | Feb 6, 2023 | Manufacturing |
| 26 | BoeingPuget Sound Area, WA | 5,798 | WA | Jun 8, 2020 | Other Services |
| 27 | Cisco SystemsSan Jose, CA | 5,000 | CA | Feb 14, 2024 | Information Technology |
| 28 | CVS HealthWoonsocket, RI | 5,000 | RI | Aug 17, 2023 | Health Care & Social Assistance |
| 29 | Sears HoldingsHoffman Estates, IL | 5,000 | IL | Feb 11, 2019 | Retail Trade |
| 30 | Zachry Industrial, Inc. (Sabine Pass)Sabine Pass, TX | 4,072 | TX | Jun 3, 2024 | Other Services |
| 31 | General MotorsDetroit, MI | 4,000 | MI | Oct 17, 2023 | Manufacturing |
| 32 | HPPalo Alto, CA | 4,000 | CA | Nov 21, 2022 | Manufacturing |
| 33 | Cisco SystemsSan Jose, CA | 4,000 | CA | Nov 16, 2022 | Information Technology |
| 34 | BPHouston, TX | 4,000 | TX | Jun 8, 2020 | Mining & Oil and Gas Extraction |
| 35 | IBMArmonk, NY | 3,900 | NY | Jan 26, 2023 | Information Technology |
| 36 | United States Steel Corporation Gary and PortageGary and Portage, IN | 3,765 | IN | May 1, 2020 | Construction |
| 37 | TwitterSan Francisco, CA | 3,700 | CA | Nov 4, 2022 | Information Technology |
| 38 | RaterLabsKirkland, WA | 3,657 | WA | Feb 6, 2024 | Other Services |
| 39 | Silicon Valley BankSanta Clara, CA | 3,500 | CA | Mar 10, 2023 | Finance & Insurance |
| 40 | Lord and TaylorNew York, NY | 3,500 | NY | Jul 9, 2020 | Retail Trade |
| 41 | Haliburton Energy Services-N. Sam HoustonHouston, TX | 3,500 | TX | Mar 18, 2020 | Other Services |
| 42 | Gebbers Farms, EtalBrewster, WA | 3,465 | WA | Oct 10, 2025 | Other Services |
| 43 | Goldman SachsNew York, NY | 3,200 | NY | Jan 11, 2023 | Finance & Insurance |
| 44 | United AirlinesDulles, VA | 3,036 | VA | Jul 8, 2020 | Transportation & Warehousing |
| 45 | United Airlines (Washington Dulles International Airport)Dulles, VA | 3,036 | VA | Jul 8, 2020 | Transportation & Warehousing |
| 46 | Ford MotorDearborn, MI | 3,000 | MI | Aug 22, 2022 | Manufacturing |
| 47 | SAPNewtown Square, PA | 3,000 | PA | Jan 24, 2024 | Information Technology |
| 48 | WeWorkNew York, NY | 3,000 | NY | Nov 6, 2023 | Real Estate |
| 49 | United Airlines | 2,820 | CO | Jul 8, 2020 | Transportation & Warehousing |
| 50 | Peloton InteractiveNew York, NY | 2,800 | NY | Feb 8, 2022 | Manufacturing |
Source: WARN Act notices filed with state workforce agencies Federal WARN generally requires 60 days' written notice for covered employers and covered events; thresholds and exceptions apply.
Every figure on PlainLayoffs is rendered directly from public WARN Act filings and state workforce agency records, no number is typed in by an editor. This ranking is sorted directly from WARN Act filings by workers affected. 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.