Chapter 13 — Wage Earner Reorganization
Open-data reference.
National trend FY2015–FY2024 · 37.1% of all filings in FY2024
Statistical information only — not legal advice. Consult a bankruptcy attorney for guidance on your specific situation.
What is Chapter 13?
Allows individuals with regular income to restructure debts and repay them over a 3–5 year plan. Filers keep their assets while catching up on mortgage arrears, car payments, and other priority debts.
Who Files
Individuals with regular income who want to save their home from foreclosure, keep non-exempt assets, or who do not qualify for Chapter 7 due to income.
Timeline
3–5 year repayment plan, then remaining eligible debts discharged.
FY2024 National
222,608
Total Chapter 13 filings
37.1%
Share of all bankruptcy filings
Chapter 13 Filings by Year
States Ranked by Chapter 13 Filings
| Rank | State | Ch. 13 Filings |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 24,041 |
| 2 | Texas | 14,985 |
| 3 | Florida | 14,932 |
| 4 | Georgia | 13,236 |
| 5 | New York | 10,043 |
| 6 | Illinois | 8,302 |
| 7 | Tennessee | 8,302 |
| 8 | Ohio | 8,143 |
| 9 | Pennsylvania | 7,003 |
| 10 | Michigan | 6,623 |
| 11 | Alabama | 6,402 |
| 12 | North Carolina | 6,394 |
| 13 | New Jersey | 6,242 |
| 14 | Arizona | 5,635 |
| 15 | Virginia | 5,102 |
| 16 | Indiana | 5,033 |
| 17 | Louisiana | 4,342 |
| 18 | Missouri | 4,342 |
| 19 | Washington | 4,342 |
| 20 | Maryland | 3,892 |
| 21 | Nevada | 3,741 |
| 22 | Oklahoma | 3,581 |
| 23 | South Carolina | 3,581 |
| 24 | Colorado | 3,513 |
| 25 | Kentucky | 3,391 |
| 26 | Minnesota | 3,202 |
| 27 | Wisconsin | 3,202 |
| 28 | Mississippi | 3,163 |
| 29 | Massachusetts | 2,973 |
| 30 | Oregon | 2,973 |
| 31 | Utah | 2,821 |
| 32 | Arkansas | 2,220 |
| 33 | Kansas | 2,137 |
| 34 | Iowa | 1,833 |
| 35 | Connecticut | 1,460 |
| 36 | New Mexico | 1,460 |
| 37 | Nebraska | 1,300 |
| 38 | West Virginia | 1,232 |
| 39 | Idaho | 1,118 |
| 40 | Hawaii | 1,080 |
| 41 | Delaware | 719 |
| 42 | Maine | 719 |
| 43 | New Hampshire | 693 |
| 44 | Montana | 540 |
| 45 | Rhode Island | 540 |
| 46 | Alaska | 472 |
| 47 | Vermont | 351 |
| 48 | Wyoming | 351 |
| 49 | North Dakota | 312 |
| 50 | South Dakota | 312 |
| 51 | District of Columbia | 282 |
What the Chapter 13 Data Shows
Nationally, Chapter 13 (Wage Earner Reorganization) filings totaled 222,608 in FY2024, representing 37.1% of all bankruptcy petitions filed in federal court that year. Across the 10-year window AOUSC publishes (FY2015–FY2024), Chapter 13 volumes fell 29.8% — from 317,134 in the earliest year to 222,608 most recently. Allows individuals with regular income to restructure debts and repay them over a 3–5 year plan. Filers keep their assets while catching up on mortgage arrears, car payments, and other priority debts.
Who uses this chapter: Individuals with regular income who want to save their home from foreclosure, keep non-exempt assets, or who do not qualify for Chapter 7 due to income. Expected timeline: 3–5 year repayment plan, then remaining eligible debts discharged. Geographic concentration is substantial — in FY2024, California alone recorded 24,041 Chapter 13 filings, and the highest-volume states include California, Texas, Florida, Georgia, New York. These distributions are not random: they are shaped by state exemption laws, the means-test income threshold for Chapter 7 eligibility, local trustee and court practices, attorney fee conventions, and homeownership rates that influence whether debtors choose liquidation or repayment paths.
These statistics describe the overall population of Chapter 13 cases; they do not predict the outcome of any individual filing. Chapter 13 plan completion rates, Chapter 7 discharge denials, Chapter 11 plan confirmations, and Chapter 12 operational-restructuring success all vary widely by district, debtor circumstance, and creditor posture. This page is statistical information only and is not legal advice; anyone considering whether Chapter 13 is appropriate for their situation should consult a licensed bankruptcy attorney who can evaluate income, assets, debt composition, and the specific rules of the relevant judicial district.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Chapter 13 bankruptcy?
Allows individuals with regular income to restructure debts and repay them over a 3–5 year plan. Filers keep their assets while catching up on mortgage arrears, car payments, and other priority debts.
Who is eligible to file Chapter 13?
Individuals with regular income who want to save their home from foreclosure, keep non-exempt assets, or who do not qualify for Chapter 7 due to income.
How long does Chapter 13 take?
3–5 year repayment plan, then remaining eligible debts discharged.
How many Chapter 13 cases were filed in FY2024?
There were 222,608 Chapter 13 bankruptcy filings nationally in FY2024, representing 37.1% of all bankruptcy filings. Filing data is from the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.
Which states have the most Chapter 13 filings?
The top states for Chapter 13 filings in FY2024 are California, Texas, Florida. State-level filing rates reflect differences in exemption laws, income levels, and economic conditions.
Bankruptcy Guides
Chapter 7 vs Chapter 13
Data-driven comparison of the two most common filing types.
The Means Test
How income determines Chapter 7 eligibility.
State Exemptions
What assets you can protect in bankruptcy.
Bankruptcy Timeline
From filing to discharge, step by step.
Business Bankruptcy
Chapter 11 restructuring trends and patterns.
Related Financial Data
PlainAttorney
Attorney discipline records and state bar actions — find qualified bankruptcy attorneys.
PlainCredit
Consumer credit scores and debt levels by state — context for bankruptcy rates.
PlainLender
Mortgage lending data and origination stats — housing debt drives many filings.
PlainTaxData
Federal tax statistics by state — tax debt is a common bankruptcy trigger.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
All federal data sources used on this page
- U.S. Courts Bankruptcy Statistics — federal bankruptcy filing data by chapter + district. uscourts.gov/data-news/bankruptcy-data
- PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) — individual case docket access. pacer.uscourts.gov
- DOJ U.S. Trustee Program — federal oversight of bankruptcy cases. justice.gov/ust
- CFPB Consumer Credit Trends — Bankruptcy — consumer-finance + bankruptcy correlation. consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-credit-trends
- IRS Treasury Offset Program — discharge-related federal tax data. irs.gov/businesses/declaring-bankruptcy
- U.S. Census Bureau ACS — household economic context for filing-rate analysis. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs