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Federal judicial district · FY2024 · AOUSC

Eastern District of North Carolina

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

4,379
Total filings FY2024
Mid-volume district
1,058
Chapter 7
Below national share
3,255
Chapter 13
Above national share
180
Business
Near national share

Data updated September 2026

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The bottom line

The Eastern District of North Carolina recorded 4,379 bankruptcy filings in FY2024, 24% of them Chapter 7 liquidations - up 19.5% from FY2023.

24%
Chapter 7 (liquidation)
74%
Chapter 13 (repayment)
4.1%
business filings
+19.5%
vs FY2023

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

Consumer vs business filings, FY2024

AOUSC case-type split of the same 4,379 filings, orthogonal to the chapter mix farther down.

Eastern District of North Carolina: filing volume vs. every federal judicial district

FY2024 total bankruptcy filings, AOUSC Judicial Caseload Statistics

4,379 47th percentile higher than 47% 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%). This entry sits in this band. 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. Eastern North Carolina 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

2,0003,0004,0005,0006,0007,0008,000 FY15FY16FY17FY18FY19FY20FY21FY22FY23FY24 4,379
Total bankruptcy filings in the Eastern District of North Carolina by fiscal year. Source: AOUSC Judicial Caseload Statistics.
Year Total Ch. 7 Ch. 11 Ch. 12 Ch. 13
FY2024 4,379 1,058 63 3 3,255
FY2023 3,663 910 56 6 2,691
FY2022 3,002 837 33 5 2,127
FY2021 3,016 1,268 53 6 1,689
FY2020 4,813 1,774 60 3 2,976
FY2019 5,930 1,998 84 12 3,835
FY2018 6,383 2,190 80 7 4,106
FY2017 6,387 2,178 88 4 4,117
FY2016 6,950 2,276 81 8 4,585
FY2015 7,308 2,236 96 10 4,966

Upper-band YoY trend & chapter mix

24%

Chapter 7 share

4,199

Consumer filings

  • Chapter 7 1,058 (24%)
  • Chapter 13 3,255 (74%)
  • Chapter 11 63 (1%)
  • Chapter 12 3 (0%)

Chapter breakdown of the 4,379 FY2024 filings in the Eastern District of North Carolina.

From FY2023 to FY2024, the Eastern District of North Carolina's filing volume went up 19.5%.

Unemployment & filings, side by side

North Carolina's unemployment rate barely moved (3.5% in 2019 to 3.5% in 2023), while filings in the Eastern District of North Carolina fell 38.2% 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

Eastern District of North Carolina's Chapter 13-heavy mix

FY2024 filings rose 19.5% vs FY2023 — a sharp year-over-year move for Eastern District of North Carolina.

The Eastern District of North Carolina's decade trend, FY2015-FY2024: filings fell 40.1%, 1.2 points above the national decline of 41.3%.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many bankruptcy filings did the Eastern District of North Carolina have in FY2024?

The Eastern District of North Carolina had 4,379 bankruptcy filings in FY2024, the #47 busiest of the 89 federal districts by filing volume.

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

Of the Eastern District of North Carolina's FY2024 filings, 180 were business cases and 4,199 were non-business (consumer) cases.

Nationwide peers on Chapter 13 share

Two AOUSC peer sets for the Eastern District of North Carolina in FY2024, both outside North Carolina 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 (4,379 here).

Western Pennsylvania 4,466 Massachusetts 4,534 Eastern Pennsylvania 4,557 South Carolina 4,638

Similar Chapter 13 share

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

Western Tennessee 75% Ch.13 Eastern Louisiana 77% Ch.13 Southern Alabama 79% Ch.13 Middle Georgia 72% Ch.13

What to do with this

Eastern District of North Carolina's own numbers, then where to compare them.

  • This district ranks #47 of 89 nationally by FY2024 filing volume - see how every federal district stacks up. National rankings
  • 24% 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
  • Eastern District of North Carolina is one federal district in North Carolina - see the full state rollup across every district. North Carolina 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. Eastern District of North Carolina FY2024 profile (#47 of 89 volume · #6 of 89 Ch.13 share · upper-band yoy rebound) retrieved and formatted by PlainBankruptcy.