Nearly two out of three Chapter 13 bankruptcy cases end in dismissal -- not discharge. But in the Eastern District of New York, that number rises to 96.4%. An Open Bankruptcy Project analysis of 2.3 million Chapter 13 filings across all 94 federal judicial districts from fiscal years 2020 through 2024 reveals a system where a debtor's geographic location may matter as much as their financial circumstances.
The national average Chapter 13 dismissal rate stands at 63.4%, meaning only 36.6% of debtors who enter a three-to-five-year repayment plan successfully complete it and receive a discharge. The gap between the worst-performing and best-performing districts spans 48.2 percentage points -- a disparity that cannot be explained by economic conditions alone.
Key finding: The Eastern District of New York dismisses 96.4% of Chapter 13 cases -- nearly double the national average. It also has the highest pro se filing rate at 58.2%, suggesting a direct connection between lack of representation and case failure.
The 15 Worst Districts for Chapter 13 Completion
The following districts have the highest Chapter 13 dismissal rates in the country, based on cases filed between fiscal years 2020 and 2024 with known outcomes.
| Rank | District | Cases Filed | Dismissal Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | E.D.N.Y. (NY) | 13,187 | 96.4% |
| 2 | W.D. Tenn. (TN) | 27,844 | 91.3% |
| 3 | N.D. Fla. (FL) | 1,981 | 90.4% |
| 4 | D. Conn. (CT) | 2,727 | 88.3% |
| 5 | N.D. Tex. (TX) | 17,147 | 86.4% |
| 6 | N.D. Ga. (GA) | 40,911 | 85.8% |
| 7 | D.D.C. (DC) | 397 | 85.7% |
| 8 | W.D. Tex. (TX) | 9,118 | 85.0% |
| 9 | E.D. Tex. (TX) | 8,974 | 84.8% |
| 10 | C.D. Cal. (CA) | 17,361 | 83.7% |
| 11 | S.D. Tex. (TX) | 13,757 | 83.3% |
| 12 | M.D. Fla. (FL) | 20,598 | 82.1% |
| 13 | D. Md. (MD) | 15,672 | 81.5% |
| 14 | S.D.N.Y. (NY) | 4,263 | 80.0% |
| 15 | D. Mass. (MA) | 6,330 | 79.9% |
Texas: A Systemic Problem
Texas places four districts in the worst 15 -- Northern (86.4%), Western (85.0%), Eastern (84.8%), and Southern (83.3%). Combined, these four districts account for 48,996 Chapter 13 filings with dismissal rates all exceeding 83%. No other state has more than two districts on this list. The consistency across all four Texas districts suggests state-level factors -- local legal culture, trustee practices, or attorney fee structures -- may be contributing to poor outcomes statewide.
Volume Matters: The Atlanta Problem
The Northern District of Georgia, which encompasses Atlanta, filed 40,911 Chapter 13 cases during the study period -- the highest volume of any district on this list. With an 85.8% dismissal rate, that translates to roughly 35,100 cases that ended without discharge. In raw numbers, more Chapter 13 plans fail in Atlanta than in any other district in the country.
High-volume districts with high failure rates raise questions about the role of attorney practices and fee structures. When a single district processes tens of thousands of cases with dismissal rates exceeding 85%, the aggregate harm to debtors -- in lost plan payments, lost time, and renewed collection activity -- is substantial.
The 5 Best Districts for Chapter 13 Completion
For comparison, the districts where Chapter 13 debtors are most likely to complete their plans.
| Rank | District | Cases Filed | Dismissal Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | D.N.D. (ND) | 292 | 48.2% |
| 2 | D. Mont. (MT) | 554 | 50.7% |
| 3 | D. Kan. (KS) | 8,778 | 51.4% |
| 4 | D. Neb. (NE) | 3,875 | 52.1% |
| 5 | E.D. Ky. (KY) | 8,134 | 52.2% |
The District of Kansas stands out for combining high volume (8,778 cases) with a relatively low dismissal rate (51.4%), demonstrating that scale alone does not require high failure rates. Kansas debtors are nearly twice as likely to complete their Chapter 13 plans as debtors in the Eastern District of New York.
The Pro Se Connection
The Eastern District of New York's 96.4% dismissal rate coincides with its 58.2% pro se filing rate -- the highest in the nation for Chapter 13. More than half of E.D.N.Y. debtors enter the Chapter 13 process without an attorney, and the overwhelming majority of those cases fail. This pattern is consistent with broader research on pro se filing outcomes, which shows self-represented debtors face dismissal rates two to three times higher than represented debtors.
Whether the high pro se rate is a cause or symptom of the district's poor outcomes is an open question. It is possible that the perceived futility of Chapter 13 in E.D.N.Y. discourages debtors from investing in attorney representation -- or that the lack of affordable, quality representation drives both the pro se rate and the dismissal rate simultaneously.
What This Means for Debtors
A Chapter 13 dismissal is not a neutral outcome. Debtors who are dismissed lose the protection of the automatic stay, may forfeit months or years of plan payments that went to administrative costs rather than debt reduction, and return to the same financial distress -- often worse -- that drove them to file. In districts with dismissal rates above 80%, the Chapter 13 system may be functioning less as a path to financial recovery and more as a revolving door.
Debtors considering Chapter 13 can check their discharge eligibility and review district-level outcome data at dismissalrate.org before filing. Understanding local completion rates is an essential part of evaluating whether Chapter 13 is a realistic path in a given jurisdiction.
Related: 1 in 3 Chapter 13 Filers Has Filed Before | 75,764 Estimated Section 1328(f) Violations
Methodology: This analysis covers 2.3 million Chapter 13 bankruptcy cases filed in fiscal years 2020 through 2024 across all 94 federal judicial districts. Data is sourced from the Federal Judicial Center's Integrated Database (FJC IDB). Dismissal rates are calculated as (dismissed cases / cases with known dispositions) for each district. Cases still pending without a final disposition are excluded. The national average reflects the weighted mean across all districts. Data current as of March 2026.