Bankruptcy filings across the United States continue to reflect significant geographic variation, with certain states accounting for a disproportionate share of consumer cases. An analysis of 16,568 Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 filings since January 2024 reveals that filing activity is heavily concentrated in a handful of jurisdictions.
Top Filing States Since 2024
The Open Bankruptcy Project's database -- spanning 220,037 cases across 85 federal bankruptcy courts -- shows the following states leading in consumer filing volume:
| State | Filings (2024+) | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Florida | 3,981 | 24.0% |
| Kansas | 3,038 | 18.3% |
| Missouri | 2,667 | 16.1% |
| Texas | 2,433 | 14.7% |
| New Jersey | 859 | 5.2% |
| Indiana | 740 | 4.5% |
| Pennsylvania | 497 | 3.0% |
| Kentucky | 357 | 2.2% |
| Alabama | 352 | 2.1% |
| Illinois | 295 | 1.8% |
| Georgia | 263 | 1.6% |
| North Carolina | 247 | 1.5% |
| Virginia | 144 | 0.9% |
| Arkansas | 127 | 0.8% |
| California | 118 | 0.7% |
Key finding: The top five filing states account for over 78% of all consumer bankruptcy filings in the dataset since 2024.
National Trend: Year-Over-Year Volume
Filing volumes have shifted meaningfully since 2020, when pandemic-era relief measures temporarily suppressed new filings. The trajectory since then tells a clear story of rising consumer financial distress:
| Year | Chapter 7 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 11 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 2,561 | 3,072 | 200 | 5,833 |
| 2021 | 2,029 | 2,527 | 219 | 4,775 |
| 2022 | 1,587 | 2,894 | 190 | 4,671 |
| 2023 | 1,951 | 3,682 | 314 | 5,947 |
| 2024 | 3,280 | 4,201 | 725 | 8,206 |
| 2025 | 3,847 | 4,025 | 1,119 | 8,991 |
The 2024-2025 surge reflects the expiration of pandemic-era consumer protections, rising interest rates, and accumulated household debt. Chapter 7 liquidation filings have grown particularly fast, suggesting more consumers are choosing full discharge over multi-year repayment plans.
Implications for Debtors and Practitioners
The geographic concentration of filings has practical implications for court resources, trustee capacity, and attorney availability. High-volume districts may face longer processing times and greater strain on legal aid resources.
For debtors considering bankruptcy, understanding your district's filing volume can provide context for what to expect in terms of timing and court attention. The 1328(f) Discharge Eligibility Screener offers a free tool to check eligibility requirements, while the OBP Research Portal provides district-level data for all 94 federal judicial districts.
Methodology: All statistics in this article are derived from the Open Bankruptcy Project's analysis of 4.9 million federal bankruptcy case records obtained from the Federal Judicial Center's Integrated Database, supplemented by PACER docket data across 94 federal judicial districts. Data current as of March 2026.