States Iowa Southern District of Iowa

Federal judicial district · FY2024 · AOUSC

Southern District of Iowa

Bankruptcy filings for the Southern District of Iowa - every Chapter 7, 11, 12, and 13 petition recorded in the district, from AOUSC Judicial Caseload Statistics.

2,701
Total filings FY2024
1,635
Chapter 7
988
Chapter 13
166
Business

Data updated August 2026

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The bottom line

2,701 bankruptcy cases moved through the Southern District of Iowa in FY2024, with Chapter 7 liquidations making up 61% of the total, a rise of 12.0% versus FY2023.

61%
Chapter 7 (liquidation)
37%
Chapter 13 (repayment)
6.1%
business filings
+12.0%
vs FY2023

Filed in federal, not state, court; counted by fiscal year (Oct–Sep). Not legal advice.

Consumer vs business filings, FY2024

AOUSC case-type split of the same 2,701 filings, orthogonal to the chapter mix farther down.

Light-volume filing history (#72 of 90)

2,0003,0004,0005,000 FY15FY16FY17FY18FY19FY20FY21FY22FY23FY24 2,701
Total bankruptcy filings in the Southern District of Iowa by fiscal year. Source: AOUSC Judicial Caseload Statistics.
Year Total Ch. 7 Ch. 11 Ch. 12 Ch. 13
FY2024 2,701 1,635 39 39 988
FY2023 2,412 1,507 31 46 828
FY2022 2,157 1,463 22 49 623
FY2021 2,301 1,635 22 59 585
FY2020 3,029 2,157 34 42 796
FY2019 4,311 2,694 33 32 1,552
FY2018 4,337 2,726 32 32 1,547
FY2017 4,270 2,789 34 36 1,411
FY2016 4,419 2,999 35 43 1,342
FY2015 4,698 3,201 36 41 1,420

Upper-band YoY trend & chapter mix

61%

Chapter 7 share

2,535

Consumer filings

  • Chapter 7 1,635 (61%)
  • Chapter 13 988 (37%)
  • Chapter 11 39 (1%)
  • Chapter 12 39 (1%)

Chapter breakdown of the 2,701 FY2024 filings in the Southern District of Iowa.

Southern District of Iowa filings rose 12.0% year-over-year, from FY2023 to FY2024.

Light-third district caseload

Southern District of Iowa in the light-volume third

2,701 FY2024 filings put Southern District of Iowa in the lightest third of federal districts (#72 of 90).

Over FY2015–FY2024, filings in the Southern District of Iowa fell 42.5%, roughly tracking the national decline of 42.5% over the same span.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many bankruptcy filings did the Southern District of Iowa have in FY2024?

Southern District of Iowa recorded 2,701 bankruptcy filings in FY2024, placing it 72th among the nation's 90 federal districts.

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

Of the Southern District of Iowa's FY2024 filings, 166 were business cases and 2,535 were non-business (consumer) cases.

Nationwide peers of a light-volume district

Two AOUSC peer sets for this light-volume Southern 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 (2,701 here).

Similar Chapter 13 share

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

Data sourced from Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AOUSC) Judicial Caseload Statistics. See our methodology for details. Southern District of Iowa FY2024 profile (#72 of 90 volume · #46 of 90 Ch.13 share · light-third district caseload) retrieved and formatted by PlainBankruptcy.