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.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, each event is a real notice filed under the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act, the 1988 law that makes employers with 100 or more staff give 60 days' written warning before a mass layoff (generally 500+ workers at one site, or 50+ when that is at least a third of the workforce) or a plant closing. 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.

The ten biggest single layoff events

Workers affected by one WARN Act filing

workers

What this shows A small number of airline, entertainment and tech closures account for the very largest single events on record.

Source State WARN Act filings As of June 2026
#EmployerWorkersStateNotice dateIndustry
1United AirlinesChicago, IL36,000ILOct 1, 2020Transportation & Warehousing
2DisneyBurbank, CA28,000CASep 29, 2020Arts, Entertainment & Recreation
3CitigroupNew York, NY20,000NYJan 12, 2024Finance & Insurance
4American AirlinesFort Worth, TX19,000TXOct 1, 2020Transportation & Warehousing
5AmazonSeattle, WA18,000WAJan 18, 2023Retail Trade
6Delta Air LinesAtlanta, GA17,000GAOct 1, 2020Transportation & Warehousing
7BoeingSeattle, WA16,000WAJul 29, 2020Manufacturing
8IntelHillsboro, OR15,000ORAug 1, 2024Manufacturing
9Bed Bath BeyondUnion, NJ14,000NJApr 23, 2023Retail Trade
10NokiaDallas, TX14,000TXAug 24, 2023Manufacturing
11GoogleMountain View, CA12,000CAJan 20, 2023Information Technology
12IntelHillsboro, OR12,000OROct 25, 2022Manufacturing
13Meta PlatformsMenlo Park, CA11,000CANov 9, 2022Information Technology
14Meta PlatformsMenlo Park, CA10,000CAMar 14, 2023Information Technology
15MicrosoftRedmond, WA10,000WAJan 18, 2023Information Technology
16Walgreens Boots AllianceDeerfield, IL10,000ILOct 12, 2023Retail Trade
17David's BridalNationwide, WA9,266WAApr 17, 2023Other Services
18AmazonSeattle, WA9,000WANov 15, 2023Retail Trade
19Tuesday MorningDallas, TX8,000TXMay 24, 2023Retail Trade
20SalesforceSan Francisco, CA7,000CAJan 4, 2023Information Technology
Show the remaining 30 events (ranks 21-50)
#EmployerWorkersStateNotice dateIndustry
21DisneyBurbank, CA7,000CAApr 20, 2020Arts, Entertainment & Recreation
22Southwest AirlinesDallas, TX7,000TXOct 1, 2020Transportation & Warehousing
23Uber TechnologiesSan Francisco, CA6,700CAMay 6, 2020Transportation & Warehousing
24Rivian AutomotiveNormal, IL6,700ILFeb 21, 2024Manufacturing
25Dell TechnologiesRound Rock, TX6,650TXFeb 6, 2023Manufacturing
26BoeingPuget Sound Area, WA5,798WAJun 8, 2020Other Services
27Cisco SystemsSan Jose, CA5,000CAFeb 14, 2024Information Technology
28CVS HealthWoonsocket, RI5,000RIAug 17, 2023Health Care & Social Assistance
29Sears HoldingsHoffman Estates, IL5,000ILFeb 11, 2019Retail Trade
30Zachry Industrial, Inc. (Sabine Pass)Sabine Pass, TX4,072TXJun 3, 2024Other Services
31General MotorsDetroit, MI4,000MIOct 17, 2023Manufacturing
32HPPalo Alto, CA4,000CANov 21, 2022Manufacturing
33Cisco SystemsSan Jose, CA4,000CANov 16, 2022Information Technology
34BPHouston, TX4,000TXJun 8, 2020Mining & Oil and Gas Extraction
35IBMArmonk, NY3,900NYJan 26, 2023Information Technology
36United States Steel Corporation Gary and PortageGary and Portage, IN3,765INMay 1, 2020Construction
37TwitterSan Francisco, CA3,700CANov 4, 2022Information Technology
38RaterLabsKirkland, WA3,657WAFeb 6, 2024Other Services
39Silicon Valley BankSanta Clara, CA3,500CAMar 10, 2023Finance & Insurance
40Lord and TaylorNew York, NY3,500NYJul 9, 2020Retail Trade
41Haliburton Energy Services-N. Sam HoustonHouston, TX3,500TXMar 18, 2020Other Services
42Gebbers Farms, EtalBrewster, WA3,465WAOct 10, 2025Other Services
43Goldman SachsNew York, NY3,200NYJan 11, 2023Finance & Insurance
44United AirlinesDulles, VA3,036VAJul 8, 2020Transportation & Warehousing
45United Airlines (Washington Dulles International Airport)Dulles, VA3,036VAJul 8, 2020Transportation & Warehousing
46Ford MotorDearborn, MI3,000MIAug 22, 2022Manufacturing
47SAPNewtown Square, PA3,000PAJan 24, 2024Information Technology
48WeWorkNew York, NY3,000NYNov 6, 2023Real Estate
49United Airlines2,820COJul 8, 2020Transportation & Warehousing
50Peloton InteractiveNew York, NY2,800NYFeb 8, 2022Manufacturing

Source: WARN Act notices filed with state workforce agencies WARN Act notices filed with state workforce agencies The WARN Act (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act) requires employers with 100+ employees to provide 60-day advance notice of mass layoffs affecting 50+ workers

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 June 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.