National rank: 22nd of 94 by total case volume (78th percentile). See all rankings below.
Section 01Filing Volume
Annual federal bankruptcy filings in S.D. Tex., FY 2010–2026. The most recent fiscal year is rendered with a muted marker to indicate its incomplete status.
Section 02Chapter Mix
Distribution of cases filed in S.D. Tex. by bankruptcy chapter. Computed over the 562,775 cases with a non-blank chapter code in the FJC IDB.
| Chapter | Purpose | Cases | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chapter 13 | Wage-earner plan | 394,371 | 70.08% |
| Chapter 7 | Liquidation | 142,988 | 25.41% |
| Chapter 11 | Reorganization | 24,424 | 4.34% |
| Chapter 12 | Family farmer / fisherman | 517 | 0.09% |
| Chapter 15 | Cross-border / ancillary | 196 | 0.03% |
| Chapter 9 | Municipality | 12 | 0.0% |
Section 03Case Dispositions
Of cases filed in S.D. Tex. from FY 2005 onward, 191,415 have a terminal disposition recorded in the FJC Integrated Database (35.0% of 546,517 in-window cases). 355,102 remain unclassified — either still open at the last FJC extract or not yet coded.
| Outcome | Cases | Share of classified |
|---|---|---|
| Discharged | 112,298 | 58.67% |
| Dismissed | 43,541 | 22.75% |
| Converted to another chapter | 34,048 | 17.79% |
| Other disposition | 1,518 | 0.79% |
Section 04Prior-Filer Rate (Chapter 13)
Of Chapter 13 cases in S.D. Tex. with a coded prior-filing flag in the FJC IDB, 26.78% (95,471 cases) carry a recorded prior bankruptcy filing. This metric is relevant to 11 U.S.C. § 1328(f) discharge eligibility.
National rank on Chapter 13 prior-filer rate: 49th of 94 (49th percentile).
Classified subset: 356,561 of 394,371 Chapter 13 cases. How this is computed.
Section 05Pro Se Filing Rate
Of classified S.D. Tex. filings, 4.77% (25,444 cases) were filed without an attorney of record.
National rank on pro se rate: 31st of 94 (68th percentile).
Classified subset: 533,134 of 562,775 cases. How this is computed.
Section 06National Rank
How S.D. Tex. compares to the other 93 US federal bankruptcy districts on the metrics above. A higher percentile indicates a higher value of the metric (e.g., 95th percentile on total volume means top 5% by case count).
Section 07Peer Districts
Three districts in the Fifth Circuit closest in total case volume to S.D. Tex..
Section 08Privacy Rule (FRBP 9037) Context
Federal Rule of Bankruptcy Procedure 9037 requires that Social Security Numbers, dates of birth, financial account numbers, and minor-child identifiers be redacted in bankruptcy filings. The Federal Judicial Center’s April 2024 empirical study, Unredacted Social Security Numbers in Federal Court PACER Documents, measured compliance across the federal court system.
A small number of documents account for a disproportionate share of exposure: 45% of unredacted SSNs (10,042) appeared in just 17 documents, which the authors frame as evidence of systemic actors rather than widespread filer error. The study also documented 54 violations involving Bankruptcy Form 121 — the form the court tells debtors “will not make publicly available.”
The Federal Judicial Center’s findings are not broken out by district, and OBP does not publish per-district compliance rates. The FJC study measures appearance of noncompliance, not adjudicated Rule 9037 violations. See the methodology page for why that distinction matters.
Primary source: Unredacted Social Security Numbers in Federal Court PACER Documents (FJC, April 2024).
Section 09RECAP Coverage
Of the 562,775 cases recorded for S.D. Tex. in the FJC IDB, 0 dockets (0.0%) are available free of charge in the Free Law Project’s RECAP Archive. Every case link on this site resolves to a free CourtListener page — no PACER fee, no paywall, no login required.
If the coverage number is lower than you’d expect, you can help. Installing the free RECAP browser extension contributes any PACER documents you already pay for to the public archive, at no cost to you.
Section 10Frequently Asked Questions
How many federal bankruptcy cases have been filed in S.D. Tex.?
According to the Federal Judicial Center Integrated Database, 562,775 cases have been filed in United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. S.D. Tex. ranks 22 of 94 US bankruptcy districts by total filing volume (78th percentile).
What is the chapter mix of bankruptcy filings in S.D. Tex.?
Of classified filings in S.D. Tex.: Chapter 13 accounts for 70.08% (394,371 cases), Chapter 7 for 25.41% (142,988 cases). The remaining filings consist of Chapter 11 reorganizations, Chapter 12 family farmer cases, and occasional cross-border proceedings.
What happens to bankruptcy cases in S.D. Tex.?
Of 191,415 cases with recorded outcomes (filed FY 2005 onward), 58.67% ended in discharge and 22.75% in dismissal. The remaining cases were converted to a different chapter or closed for other reasons. Cases still open at the last FJC extract are counted separately and excluded from these percentages.
What is the prior-filer rate on Chapter 13 cases in S.D. Tex.?
Of Chapter 13 cases in S.D. Tex. with prior-filing flags coded, 26.78% had a recorded prior bankruptcy filing. This metric is relevant to 11 U.S.C. § 1328(f) and refiling screening; see the methodology page for detail on how the flag is assigned.
What percentage of bankruptcy cases in S.D. Tex. are filed pro se?
Of S.D. Tex. filings with representation status coded, 4.77% were filed without an attorney of record.
How many S.D. Tex. cases are available in the free RECAP Archive?
CourtListener's RECAP Archive contains 0 dockets for S.D. Tex., representing 0.0% of FJC IDB-counted cases in this district. RECAP is operated by the Free Law Project; see free.law for attribution and how to contribute.