Polk County, FL jobs, unemployment and layoffs
Polk County economy
5.6%
unemployment, Aug 2026
5.3% the month before
364,197
in the labor force
Source: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics
760,961
people in Polk County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
$63,644
median household income
Source: Census ACS
32%
of workers in white-collar occupations
Management, business, financial and professional; Census ACS
Polk County layoffs
9
WARN layoff notices, last 12 months
408
workers named
A floor: states may leave out counts
5
employers
| Notice date | Employer | City or county | Workers | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Mosaic Company | FORT MEADE | 199 | — | State record | |
| Parallel Florida, LLC | LAKELAND | 54 | — | State record | |
| Freight Handlers, LLC (FHI) | LAKELAND | 38 | — | State record | |
| Freight Handlers, LLC (FHI) | LAKELAND | 38 | — | State record | |
| Freight Handlers, LLC (FHI) | LAKELAND | 38 | — | State record | |
| Freight Handlers, LLC (FHI) | LAKELAND | 37 | — | State record | |
| Conduent | POINCIANA | 1 | — | State record | |
| Conduent | DAVENPORT | 1 | — | State record | |
| Stryker Employment Services | LAKELAND | 2 | — | State record |
Employers hiring most in Polk 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.
- SouthState Bank, National Association17 open roles
- State of Florida15 open roles
- Polk County FL10 open roles
- Amazon6 open roles
- Carvana5 open roles
- SouthState Bank4 open roles
- Arkema3 open roles
- Charter Communications3 open roles
- DSI Groups3 open roles
- Human Capital Ventures3 open roles
Colleges in Polk County
| College | City | Type | Students |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polk State College | Winter Haven | Public 4-year | 10,000–19,999 |
| Southeastern University | Lakeland | Private nonprofit 4-year | 10,000–19,999 |
| Florida Polytechnic University | Lakeland | Public 4-year | 1,000–4,999 |
| Florida Southern College | Lakeland | Private nonprofit 4-year | 1,000–4,999 |
| Warner University | Lake Wales | Private nonprofit 4-year | Under 1,000 |
| Webber International University | Babson Park | Private nonprofit 4-year | Under 1,000 |
Workforce development and job centers
The public workforce board and American Job Centers serving Polk County. They offer free help with job search, training and filing for benefits.
CareerSource Polk (CareerSource Polk Haines City)
Haines City · Affiliate
First Tuesday of every month (Job search) all other times by appointment only (Closed Saturday & Sunday).
CareerSource Polk
Lakeland · Comprehensive · 863-508-1100
Mon-Thur7:30-4:00, Fri 7:30-12:30
Cities in Polk County
- Lakeland80 jobs
- Winter Haven50 jobs
- Bartow23 jobs
- Davenport11 jobs
- Lake Wales8 jobs
- Auburndale8 jobs
- Fort Meade2 jobs
- Mulberry7 jobs
- Poinciana
- Babson Park
Other Florida counties
Laid off or looking for work in Polk 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); WARN notices from Florida’s published record; job counts from our live job board; IPEDS for colleges; CareerOneStop for workforce boards and job centers.