States ›Pennsylvania › Western District of Pennsylvania

Federal judicial district · FY2024 · AOUSC

Western District of Pennsylvania

According to AOUSC Judicial Caseload Statistics, the Western District of Pennsylvania recorded every Chapter 7, 11, 12, and 13 petition filed in the district.

4,466
Total filings FY2024
Mid-volume district
2,770
Chapter 7
Near national share
1,574
Chapter 13
Near national share
226
Business
Near national share

Data updated September 2026

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The bottom line

The Western District of Pennsylvania recorded 4,466 bankruptcy filings in FY2024, 62% of them Chapter 7 liquidations - up 14.7% from FY2023.

62%
Chapter 7 (liquidation)
35%
Chapter 13 (repayment)
5.1%
business filings
+14.7%
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 4,466 filings, orthogonal to the chapter mix farther down.

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

FY2024 total bankruptcy filings, AOUSC Judicial Caseload Statistics

4,466 48th percentile higher than 48% 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. Western Pennsylvania 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, FY series

3,0004,0005,0006,0007,0008,0009,000 FY15FY16FY17FY18FY19FY20FY21FY22FY23FY24 4,466
Total bankruptcy filings in the Western District of Pennsylvania by fiscal year. Source: AOUSC Judicial Caseload Statistics.
Year Total Ch. 7 Ch. 11 Ch. 12 Ch. 13
FY2024 4,466 2,770 118 2 1,574
FY2023 3,893 2,340 65 2 1,486
FY2022 3,670 2,348 46 3 1,273
FY2021 4,231 3,134 44 6 1,047
FY2020 5,888 3,993 73 2 1,820
FY2019 7,420 4,709 68 12 2,630
FY2018 7,483 4,815 78 9 2,581
FY2017 8,031 5,142 109 6 2,774
FY2016 7,161 4,515 105 8 2,533
FY2015 7,136 4,671 69 6 2,390

Upper-band YoY trend & chapter mix

62%

Chapter 7 share

4,240

Consumer filings

  • Chapter 7 2,770 (62%)
  • Chapter 13 1,574 (35%)
  • Chapter 11 118 (3%)
  • Chapter 12 2 (0%)

The 4,466 FY2024 filings in the Western District of Pennsylvania, broken down by chapter.

Western District of Pennsylvania filings rose 14.7% year-over-year, from FY2023 to FY2024.

Unemployment & filings, side by side

Pennsylvania's unemployment rate barely moved (3.8% in 2019 to 3.8% in 2023), while filings in the Western District of Pennsylvania fell 47.5% 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

Western District of Pennsylvania's upper-band YoY move

FY2024 filings rose 14.7% vs FY2023 — a sharp year-over-year move for Western District of Pennsylvania.

The Western District of Pennsylvania's decade trend, FY2015-FY2024: filings fell 37.4%, 3.9 points above the national decline of 41.3%.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

In FY2024, 4,466 bankruptcy cases were filed in the Western District of Pennsylvania, ranking it 46 out of 89 federal judicial districts by volume.

How many business vs. non-business bankruptcy filings were there?

In FY2024, 226 of the Western District of Pennsylvania's filings were business cases, versus 4,240 non-business (consumer) filings.

Nationwide districts with similar filing profiles

Two AOUSC peer sets for the Western District of Pennsylvania in FY2024, both outside Pennsylvania 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 (4,466 here).

Massachusetts 4,534 Eastern North Carolina 4,379 South Carolina 4,638 Southern New York 4,654

Similar Chapter 13 share

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

Hawaii 36% Ch.13 Delaware 36% Ch.13 Northern California 37% Ch.13 Eastern Kentucky 38% Ch.13

What to do with this

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

  • This district ranks #46 of 89 nationally by FY2024 filing volume - see how every federal district stacks up. National rankings
  • 62% 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 Pennsylvania is one federal district in Pennsylvania - see the full state rollup across every district. Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania FY2024 profile (#46 of 89 volume · #46 of 89 Ch.13 share · upper-band yoy rebound) retrieved and formatted by PlainBankruptcy.