Find bankruptcy information specific to your city. Real data from the Federal Judicial Center covering 4.9 million cases across all 94 federal districts.
Sorted by Chapter 13 dismissal rate -- worst first.
Every guide includes local dismissal rates, district-specific data, filing information, and educational resources. All free, all backed by federal court data.
All data comes from the Federal Judicial Center's Integrated Database (FJC IDB), which contains records for every federal bankruptcy case filed in the United States. The Open Bankruptcy Project screens these records to calculate district-level dismissal rates for Chapter 13 cases.
A "dismissal" means the case was terminated without the debtor receiving a discharge -- the legal order that eliminates qualifying debts. High dismissal rates often indicate structural issues in how cases are filed, managed, or administered in a district.
Each city guide is mapped to its primary federal judicial district. Some metro areas span multiple districts; we use the district where the city's federal courthouse is located. Case counts reflect all bankruptcy filings in the district, not just the named city.
Memphis, Tennessee has the highest Chapter 13 bankruptcy dismissal rate among major U.S. metros at 79.6%, based on Federal Judicial Center data covering 173,823 cases in the Western District of Tennessee. Nearly 4 out of 5 Chapter 13 cases filed in Memphis end in dismissal rather than discharge.
Dismissal rates vary by city due to differences in local court culture, attorney practice patterns, debtor demographics, plan feasibility standards, and trustee oversight intensity. Some districts have structural issues with high-volume practices that file cases unlikely to succeed, inflating dismissal rates.
A high dismissal rate means a large proportion of bankruptcy cases end without the debtor receiving a discharge -- the legal order that eliminates qualifying debts. Dismissed cases leave debtors with no relief, potential refiling bars under 11 U.S.C. Section 109(g), and often thousands of dollars in attorney fees already paid.
All data comes from the Federal Judicial Center's Integrated Database, which contains records for every federal bankruptcy case filed in the United States. The Open Bankruptcy Project has screened 4.9 million cases across all 94 federal judicial districts.
The Open Bankruptcy Project operates local bankruptcy guides for 14 major metro areas. Each guide includes local dismissal rates, district-specific data, filing information, and educational resources. Click any city card above to visit the local guide for that metro area.
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