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Federal judicial district · FY2024 · AOUSC

Northern District of Illinois

According to AOUSC Judicial Caseload Statistics, federal bankruptcy filing counts for the Northern District of Illinois cover Chapters 7, 11, 12, and 13.

21,088
Total filings FY2024
High-volume district
11,962
Chapter 7
Near national share
8,930
Chapter 13
Near national share
732
Business
Below national share

Data updated September 2026

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The bottom line

The Northern District of Illinois recorded 21,088 bankruptcy filings in FY2024, 57% of them Chapter 7 liquidations - up 12.5% from FY2023.

57%
Chapter 7 (liquidation)
42%
Chapter 13 (repayment)
3.5%
business filings
+12.5%
vs FY2023

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

Consumer vs business on a heavy-volume book, FY2024

AOUSC case-type split of the same 21,088 filings, orthogonal to the chapter mix farther down.

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

FY2024 total bankruptcy filings, AOUSC Judicial Caseload Statistics

21,088 Top 2% higher than 98% 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. Northern Illinois 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 (#2 of 89)

10,00020,00030,00040,00050,00060,000 FY15FY16FY17FY18FY19FY20FY21FY22FY23FY24 21,088
Total bankruptcy filings in the Northern District of Illinois by fiscal year. Source: AOUSC Judicial Caseload Statistics.
Year Total Ch. 7 Ch. 11 Ch. 12 Ch. 13
FY2024 21,088 11,962 180 0 8,930
FY2023 18,751 10,552 109 0 8,090
FY2022 16,568 9,451 77 1 7,039
FY2021 17,734 12,580 85 0 5,066
FY2020 29,940 20,009 121 3 9,805
FY2019 39,857 23,416 133 1 16,306
FY2018 40,245 21,847 118 5 18,275
FY2017 42,829 23,247 149 2 19,431
FY2016 45,838 25,554 121 3 20,157
FY2015 48,601 27,866 341 1 20,392

Upper-band YoY trend & chapter mix

57%

Chapter 7 share

20,356

Consumer filings

  • Chapter 7 11,962 (57%)
  • Chapter 13 8,930 (42%)
  • Chapter 11 180 (1%)

How the 21,088 FY2024 filings split across the four bankruptcy chapters.

Year-over-year, the Northern District of Illinois saw filings climb 12.5% between FY2023 and FY2024.

Unemployment & filings, side by side

With Illinois unemployment essentially unchanged (4.8% to 4.8%), the Northern District of Illinois's 53.0% filing decline over FY2019-FY2023 points to a driver other than the labor market.

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.

Heavy-third district caseload

Northern District of Illinois in the heavy-volume third

21,088 FY2024 filings put Northern District of Illinois in the heaviest third of federal districts.

Over FY2015–FY2024, filings in the Northern District of Illinois fell 56.6%, 15.3 points below the national decline of 41.3% over the same span.

Frequently Asked Questions

What was the FY2024 bankruptcy filing count for the Northern District of Illinois?

The Northern District of Illinois had 21,088 bankruptcy filings in FY2024, the #2 busiest of the 89 federal districts by filing volume.

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

In FY2024, 732 of the Northern District of Illinois's filings were business cases, versus 20,356 non-business (consumer) filings.

Nationwide peers of a heavy-volume district

Two AOUSC peer sets for this heavy-volume Northern District of Illinois book in FY2024, both outside Illinois (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 (21,088 here).

Middle Florida 20,183 Northern Georgia 19,103 Central California 24,983 Eastern Michigan 16,711

Similar Chapter 13 share

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

Northern Indiana 43% Ch.13 Southern Indiana 43% Ch.13 Eastern Virginia 44% Ch.13 Eastern Missouri 42% Ch.13

What to do with this

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

  • This district ranks #2 of 89 nationally by FY2024 filing volume - see how every federal district stacks up. National rankings
  • 57% 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 Illinois is one federal district in Illinois - see the full state rollup across every district. Illinois 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 Illinois FY2024 profile (#2 of 89 volume · #32 of 89 Ch.13 share · heavy-third district caseload) retrieved and formatted by PlainBankruptcy.