There really are a lot of variations nationwide, but severance typically ranges from a payment of zero to a decent amount. Some companies prove to just evil and minimize everything they can in severance.

White collar roles often have better terms related to severance but it absolutely depends on the company, the circumstances of the layoff, your position, & lots of other factors. The more senior roles often get treated better in severance but you’re still getting unceremoniously turfed out of the business. Everyone’s experience will differ widely.

As a VP at a global IT manufacturer based in California, which launched a major restructuring of the business in the early 2000’s, after 10 years with the biz. My severance was exceptionally good thanks to my contract (& the company requiring my silence as part of the deal). I was given 6 months pay & paid healthcare plus office and admin support for job hunting (neither of which I used as I was lucky enough to find a similar job quickly). Lower level whit collar positions at that time received similar health care benefits but only 2 week’s pay for every year with the company.

I switched to roles at risky new hi tech startups after that, & I’ve been terminated at two of the four I joined by betting on the wrong young companies. One was decent following the successful acquisition of the company, where my stock options were accelerated early to full value and given 2 week’s pay for every year employed by them, but no healthcare coverage (the stock was what was important). All employees terminated by the new owners received about the same package. The other startup company ran out of funding during COVID, failed, and every employee regardless of role received a total of 2 weeks pay and nothing else as part of the bankruptcy terms. I retired during the pandemic, so only my wife can fire me now.