California Layoffs 2026: How the Hardest-Hit States Compare

WARN filings currently show 15,910 workers affected by layoff notices in California — second only to Washington's 16,776. Here is how the hardest-hit states compare.

The top 5 states right now (Oct 8, 2026)

1. Washington — 16,776
2. California — 15,910
3. Illinois — 4,861
4. Texas — 3,957
5. Ohio — 3,224

Washington and California together hold ~47% of all workers in the national registry (32,686 of 69,260). After the top two, a steep cliff — Illinois has less than a third of California's total.

California: big economy, strict rules

Scale plus California's mini-WARN law (75+ employees vs 100 federal): the registry captures layoffs never filed elsewhere — more complete data that looks worse in raw comparisons.

Washington at number one

16,776 workers for a state with ~two-thirds of California's workforce points to sector-specific cuts (tech, aerospace), not broad weakness.

Texas and the rest

Texas (3,957) has the second-largest workforce but no mini-WARN law — only federal-threshold layoffs are captured, likely understating its total. Illinois (4,861) and Ohio (3,224) bring manufacturing/logistics footprints.

Per-capita vs absolute

Absolute favors big states; per-capita, Washington's lead grows and Texas falls further. Both views matter.

Caveat: reported plans, not confirmed job losses, and thresholds shape the numbers.

Watch next: 8,220 workers effective the week of October 28 — the heaviest week in the window.

Data source: Layoff Atlas, current as of October 8, 2026.