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Federal judicial district · FY2024 · AOUSC

Central District of California

According to AOUSC Judicial Caseload Statistics, every Chapter 7, 11, 12, and 13 bankruptcy petition recorded in the Central District of California is covered here.

24,983
Total filings FY2024
High-volume district
20,716
Chapter 7
Above national share
3,907
Chapter 13
Below national share
1,551
Business
Above national share

Data updated September 2026

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The bottom line

24,983 bankruptcy cases moved through the Central District of California in FY2024, with Chapter 7 liquidations making up 83% of the total, a rise of 26.8% versus FY2023.

83%
Chapter 7 (liquidation)
16%
Chapter 13 (repayment)
6.2%
business filings
+26.8%
vs FY2023

Federal-court filings only, tallied by fiscal year (Oct–Sep). Statistical information, not legal advice.

Consumer vs business on a heavy-volume book, FY2024

AOUSC case-type split of the same 24,983 filings, orthogonal to the chapter mix farther down.

Central District of California: filing volume vs. every federal judicial district

FY2024 total bankruptcy filings, AOUSC Judicial Caseload Statistics

24,983 Top 1% higher than 99% of 89 federal judicial districts

0–1,500: 17 federal judicial districts (19%). Below this entry. 1,500–3,000: 14 federal judicial districts (16%). Below this entry. 3,000–4,500: 13 federal judicial districts (15%). Below this entry. 4,500–6,000: 14 federal judicial districts (16%). Below this entry. 6,000–7,500: 10 federal judicial districts (11%). Below this entry. 7,500–9,000: 4 federal judicial districts (4%). Below this entry. 9,000–10,500: 5 federal judicial districts (6%). Below this entry. 10,500–12,000: 4 federal judicial districts (4%). Below this entry. 12,000–13,500: 2 federal judicial districts (2%). Below this entry. 13,500–15,000: 1 federal judicial districts (1%). Below this entry. 15,000–16,500: 5 federal judicial districts (6%). This entry sits in this band. Central California 0 16,500 every federal judicial district, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more federal judicial districts. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source AOUSC Judicial Caseload Statistics · FY2024

Heavy-volume filing history (#1 of 89)

10,00020,00030,00040,00050,00060,000 FY15FY16FY17FY18FY19FY20FY21FY22FY23FY24 24,983
Total bankruptcy filings in the Central District of California by fiscal year. Source: AOUSC Judicial Caseload Statistics.
Year Total Ch. 7 Ch. 11 Ch. 12 Ch. 13
FY2024 24,983 20,716 355 2 3,907
FY2023 19,702 15,867 317 1 3,514
FY2022 17,836 14,774 251 1 2,807
FY2021 24,248 21,621 320 2 2,303
FY2020 31,042 25,607 386 3 5,044
FY2019 37,911 29,486 402 0 8,023
FY2018 37,343 28,484 473 3 8,380
FY2017 39,325 28,905 415 3 10,001
FY2016 42,225 31,082 456 9 10,677
FY2015 48,487 37,167 431 3 10,886

Upper-band YoY trend & chapter mix

83%

Chapter 7 share

23,432

Consumer filings

  • Chapter 7 20,716 (83%)
  • Chapter 13 3,907 (16%)
  • Chapter 11 355 (1%)
  • Chapter 12 2 (0%)

Chapter breakdown of the 24,983 FY2024 filings in the Central District of California.

Year-over-year, the Central District of California saw filings climb 26.8% between FY2023 and FY2024.

Unemployment & filings, side by side

California's unemployment rate barely moved (5.1% in 2019 to 5.1% in 2023), while filings in the Central District of California fell 48.0% over the comparable span, FY2019-FY2023 — a mover unemployment alone does not explain.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics state unemployment rate, annual average; AOUSC filing counts by fiscal year. A comparison, not a claim of cause.

Upper-band YoY rebound

Central District of California in the heavy-volume third

FY2024 filings rose 26.8% vs FY2023 — a sharp year-over-year move for Central District of California.

Between FY2015 and FY2024, the Central District of California's filing count fell 48.5%, 7.2 points below the national decline of 41.3%.

Frequently Asked Questions

What was the FY2024 bankruptcy filing count for the Central District of California?

In FY2024, 24,983 bankruptcy cases were filed in the Central District of California, ranking it 1 out of 89 federal judicial districts by volume.

How many business vs. non-business bankruptcy filings were there?

The Central District of California had 1,551 business filings and 23,432 non-business (consumer) filings in FY2024.

Nationwide peers of a heavy-volume district

Two AOUSC peer sets for this heavy-volume Central District of California book in FY2024, both outside California (same-state courts stay in Other districts below). Volume peers are nearest other-state districts by total filings; Chapter 13 peers are nearest by Ch.13 share of Chapter 7 plus 13 filings.

Similar filing volume

Nearest other-state districts by FY2024 total filings (24,983 here).

Northern Illinois 21,088 Middle Florida 20,183 Northern Georgia 19,103 Eastern Michigan 16,711

Similar Chapter 13 share

Nearest other-state districts by Chapter 13 share of Chapter 7 plus 13 filings.

Southern West Virginia 15% Ch.13 Connecticut 17% Ch.13 Montana 14% Ch.13 Southern Iowa 18% Ch.13

What to do with this

Central District of California's own numbers, then where to compare them.

  • This district ranks #1 of 89 nationally by FY2024 filing volume - see how every federal district stacks up. National rankings
  • 83% of FY2024 filings here were Chapter 7 liquidations, not Chapter 13 repayment plans - the guide breaks down what separates the two. Chapter 7 vs Chapter 13
  • Central District of California is one federal district in California - see the full state rollup across every district. California overview

Figures are Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AOUSC) Judicial Caseload Statistics FY2024 filings - see the methodology page for how districts and chapters are defined.

Data sourced from Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AOUSC) Judicial Caseload Statistics. See our methodology for details. Central District of California FY2024 profile (#1 of 89 volume · #79 of 89 Ch.13 share · upper-band yoy rebound) retrieved and formatted by PlainBankruptcy.