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Federal judicial district · FY2024 · AOUSC

Western District of Kentucky

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

5,844
Total filings FY2024
Mid-volume district
2,579
Chapter 7
Below national share
3,236
Chapter 13
Above national share
69
Business
Below national share

Data updated September 2026

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The bottom line

5,844 bankruptcy cases moved through the Western District of Kentucky in FY2024, with Chapter 7 liquidations making up 44% of the total, a rise of 7.2% versus FY2023.

44%
Chapter 7 (liquidation)
55%
Chapter 13 (repayment)
1.2%
business filings
+7.2%
vs FY2023

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

Consumer-dominated case split, FY2024

AOUSC case-type split of the same 5,844 filings, orthogonal to the chapter mix farther down.

Western District of Kentucky: filing volume vs. every federal judicial district

FY2024 total bankruptcy filings, AOUSC Judicial Caseload Statistics

5,844 Top 36% higher than 64% 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%). This entry sits in this band. 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. Western Kentucky 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

Filing history on a Chapter 13-heavy book

4,0005,0006,0007,0008,000 FY15FY16FY17FY18FY19FY20FY21FY22FY23FY24 5,844
Total bankruptcy filings in the Western District of Kentucky by fiscal year. Source: AOUSC Judicial Caseload Statistics.
Year Total Ch. 7 Ch. 11 Ch. 12 Ch. 13
FY2024 5,844 2,579 28 1 3,236
FY2023 5,450 2,391 23 2 3,034
FY2022 4,604 2,242 9 2 2,351
FY2021 4,885 2,956 12 5 1,912
FY2020 6,291 3,913 22 3 2,353
FY2019 7,713 4,696 27 3 2,987
FY2018 7,391 4,624 13 3 2,751
FY2017 7,513 4,938 13 10 2,552
FY2016 7,419 4,805 17 11 2,585
FY2015 7,707 5,416 22 5 2,263

Chapter 13-leaning mix & YoY trend

44%

Chapter 7 share

5,775

Consumer filings

  • Chapter 7 2,579 (44%)
  • Chapter 13 3,236 (55%)
  • Chapter 11 28 (0%)
  • Chapter 12 1 (0%)

How the 5,844 FY2024 filings split across the four bankruptcy chapters.

Western District of Kentucky filings rose 7.2% year-over-year, from FY2023 to FY2024.

Unemployment & filings, side by side

Kentucky's unemployment rate barely moved (4.2% in 2019 to 4.2% in 2023), while filings in the Western District of Kentucky fell 29.3% 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.

Chapter 13-heavy district mix

Western District of Kentucky's Chapter 13-heavy mix

Chapter 13 share ranks #14 of 89 among districts (highest share = #1); Chapter 7 is 44% of FY2024 filings here.

Over FY2015–FY2024, filings in the Western District of Kentucky fell 24.2%, 17.1 points above the national decline of 41.3% over the same span.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many bankruptcy cases were filed in the Western District of Kentucky in FY2024?

In FY2024, 5,844 bankruptcy cases were filed in the Western District of Kentucky, ranking it 32 out of 89 federal judicial districts by volume.

What share of filings in this district are business cases?

In FY2024, 69 of the Western District of Kentucky's filings were business cases, versus 5,775 non-business (consumer) filings.

Nationwide peers on Chapter 13 share

Two AOUSC peer sets for the Western District of Kentucky in FY2024, both outside Kentucky so the neighborhoods are not state containment (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 (5,844 here).

Middle Alabama 5,840 Northern California 5,692 Middle Georgia 6,018 Eastern Missouri 5,647

Similar Chapter 13 share

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

Middle North Carolina 55% Ch.13 Middle Louisiana 55% Ch.13 Western North Carolina 57% Ch.13 Eastern Pennsylvania 54% Ch.13

What to do with this

Western District of Kentucky's own numbers, then where to compare them.

  • This district ranks #32 of 89 nationally by FY2024 filing volume - see how every federal district stacks up. National rankings
  • 44% 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
  • Western District of Kentucky is one federal district in Kentucky - see the full state rollup across every district. Kentucky 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. Western District of Kentucky FY2024 profile (#32 of 89 volume · #14 of 89 Ch.13 share · chapter 13-heavy district mix) retrieved and formatted by PlainBankruptcy.