States ›Iowa › Northern District of Iowa

Federal judicial district · FY2024 · AOUSC

Northern District of Iowa

According to AOUSC Judicial Caseload Statistics, the Northern District of Iowa recorded every Chapter 7, 11, 12, and 13 petition filed in the district.

1,277
Total filings FY2024
Lower-volume district
1,118
Chapter 7
Above national share
141
Chapter 13
Below national share
67
Business
Above national share

Data updated September 2026

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The bottom line

The Northern District of Iowa recorded 1,277 bankruptcy filings in FY2024, 88% of them Chapter 7 liquidations - up 23.7% from FY2023.

88%
Chapter 7 (liquidation)
11%
Chapter 13 (repayment)
5.2%
business filings
+23.7%
vs FY2023

Fiscal year runs Oct–Sep; all cases here are federal, not state, filings. Not legal advice.

Consumer vs business filings, FY2024

AOUSC case-type split of the same 1,277 filings, orthogonal to the chapter mix farther down.

Northern District of Iowa: filing volume vs. every federal judicial district

FY2024 total bankruptcy filings, AOUSC Judicial Caseload Statistics

1,277 17th percentile higher than 17% of 89 federal judicial districts

0–1,500: 17 federal judicial districts (19%). This entry sits in this band. 1,500–3,000: 14 federal judicial districts (16%). Above this entry. 3,000–4,500: 13 federal judicial districts (15%). Above this entry. 4,500–6,000: 14 federal judicial districts (16%). Above this entry. 6,000–7,500: 10 federal judicial districts (11%). Above this entry. 7,500–9,000: 4 federal judicial districts (4%). Above this entry. 9,000–10,500: 5 federal judicial districts (6%). Above this entry. 10,500–12,000: 4 federal judicial districts (4%). Above this entry. 12,000–13,500: 2 federal judicial districts (2%). Above this entry. 13,500–15,000: 1 federal judicial districts (1%). Above this entry. 15,000–16,500: 5 federal judicial districts (6%). Above this entry. Northern Iowa 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

Light-volume filing history (#74 of 89)

5001,0001,5002,000 FY15FY16FY17FY18FY19FY20FY21FY22FY23FY24 1,277
Total bankruptcy filings in the Northern District of Iowa by fiscal year. Source: AOUSC Judicial Caseload Statistics.
Year Total Ch. 7 Ch. 11 Ch. 12 Ch. 13
FY2024 1,277 1,118 14 4 141
FY2023 1,032 882 10 4 136
FY2022 831 738 2 4 87
FY2021 1,193 1,093 7 12 81
FY2020 1,645 1,475 5 24 141
FY2019 1,798 1,587 9 19 183
FY2018 1,773 1,586 6 10 171
FY2017 1,663 1,498 9 13 143
FY2016 1,714 1,553 1 10 150
FY2015 1,794 1,674 2 7 111

Upper-band YoY trend & chapter mix

88%

Chapter 7 share

1,210

Consumer filings

  • Chapter 7 1,118 (88%)
  • Chapter 13 141 (11%)
  • Chapter 11 14 (1%)
  • Chapter 12 4 (0%)

How the 1,277 FY2024 filings split across the four bankruptcy chapters.

Northern District of Iowa filings rose 23.7% year-over-year, from FY2023 to FY2024.

Unemployment & filings, side by side

Iowa's unemployment rate barely moved (2.8% in 2019 to 2.8% in 2023), while filings in the Northern District of Iowa fell 42.6% 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

Northern District of Iowa in the light-volume third

FY2024 filings rose 23.7% vs FY2023 — a sharp year-over-year move for Northern District of Iowa.

Over FY2015–FY2024, filings in the Northern District of Iowa fell 28.8%, 12.5 points above the national decline of 41.3% over the same span.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many bankruptcy cases were filed in the Northern District of Iowa in FY2024?

The Northern District of Iowa had 1,277 bankruptcy filings in FY2024, the #74 busiest of the 89 federal districts by filing volume.

What is the difference between business and non-business bankruptcy filings?

The Northern District of Iowa had 67 business filings and 1,210 non-business (consumer) filings in FY2024.

Nationwide peers of a light-volume district

Two AOUSC peer sets for this light-volume Northern District of Iowa book in FY2024, both outside Iowa (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 (1,277 here).

New Mexico 1,367 Hawaii 1,172 Middle Louisiana 1,112 Eastern Oklahoma 1,043

Similar Chapter 13 share

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

North Dakota 11% Ch.13 Northern Oklahoma 12% Ch.13 Idaho 12% Ch.13 Southern California 13% Ch.13

What to do with this

Northern District of Iowa's own numbers, then where to compare them.

  • This district ranks #74 of 89 nationally by FY2024 filing volume - see how every federal district stacks up. National rankings
  • 88% 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
  • Northern District of Iowa is one federal district in Iowa - see the full state rollup across every district. Iowa 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. Northern District of Iowa FY2024 profile (#74 of 89 volume · #87 of 89 Ch.13 share · upper-band yoy rebound) retrieved and formatted by PlainBankruptcy.