States ›North Carolina › Western District of North Carolina

Federal judicial district · FY2024 · AOUSC

Western District of North Carolina

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

2,136
Total filings FY2024
Lower-volume district
906
Chapter 7
Below national share
1,202
Chapter 13
Above national share
108
Business
Near national share

Data updated September 2026

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The bottom line

FY2024 closed with 2,136 filings in the Western District of North Carolina, 42% Chapter 7, up 26.3% on FY2023.

42%
Chapter 7 (liquidation)
56%
Chapter 13 (repayment)
5.1%
business filings
+26.3%
vs FY2023

Counted by federal fiscal year (Oct–Sep); every case here is filed in federal, not state, court. Not legal advice.

Consumer vs business filings, FY2024

AOUSC case-type split of the same 2,136 filings, orthogonal to the chapter mix farther down.

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

FY2024 total bankruptcy filings, AOUSC Judicial Caseload Statistics

2,136 27th percentile higher than 27% 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%). This entry sits in this band. 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. Western 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

Light-volume filing history (#65 of 89)

1,0002,0003,0004,0005,000 FY15FY16FY17FY18FY19FY20FY21FY22FY23FY24 2,136
Total bankruptcy filings in the Western District of North Carolina by fiscal year. Source: AOUSC Judicial Caseload Statistics.
Year Total Ch. 7 Ch. 11 Ch. 12 Ch. 13
FY2024 2,136 906 27 1 1,202
FY2023 1,691 713 42 0 935
FY2022 1,384 604 17 0 763
FY2021 1,718 970 30 5 713
FY2020 2,724 1,496 38 2 1,187
FY2019 3,784 1,859 22 2 1,901
FY2018 3,963 2,068 39 2 1,853
FY2017 4,138 2,175 31 3 1,929
FY2016 4,304 2,215 39 1 2,049
FY2015 4,317 2,367 36 2 1,912

Upper-band YoY trend & chapter mix

42%

Chapter 7 share

2,028

Consumer filings

  • Chapter 7 906 (42%)
  • Chapter 13 1,202 (56%)
  • Chapter 11 27 (1%)
  • Chapter 12 1 (0%)

How the 2,136 FY2024 filings split across the four bankruptcy chapters.

From FY2023 to FY2024, the Western District of North Carolina's filing volume went up 26.3%.

Unemployment & filings, side by side

With North Carolina unemployment essentially unchanged (3.5% to 3.5%), the Western District of North Carolina's 55.3% 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.

Upper-band YoY rebound

Western District of North Carolina in the light-volume third

FY2024 filings rose 26.3% vs FY2023 — a sharp year-over-year move for Western District of North Carolina.

Between FY2015 and FY2024, the Western District of North Carolina's filing count fell 50.5%, 9.2 points below the national decline of 41.3%.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

The Western District of North Carolina had 2,136 bankruptcy filings in FY2024, the #65 busiest of the 89 federal districts by filing volume.

What share of filings in this district are business cases?

Business filings in the Western District of North Carolina totaled 108 in FY2024, compared with 2,028 non-business (consumer) filings.

Nationwide peers of a light-volume district

Two AOUSC peer sets for this light-volume Western District of North Carolina book in FY2024, both outside North Carolina (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 (2,136 here).

Western New York 2,191 Northern Florida 2,033 Eastern Washington 2,022 Idaho 2,006

Similar Chapter 13 share

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

Western Kentucky 56% Ch.13 Middle Louisiana 55% Ch.13 Northern Alabama 60% Ch.13 Eastern Pennsylvania 54% Ch.13

What to do with this

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

  • This district ranks #65 of 89 nationally by FY2024 filing volume - see how every federal district stacks up. National rankings
  • 42% 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 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. Western District of North Carolina FY2024 profile (#65 of 89 volume · #13 of 89 Ch.13 share · upper-band yoy rebound) retrieved and formatted by PlainBankruptcy.