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Federal judicial district · FY2024 · AOUSC

Eastern District of Tennessee

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

6,807
Total filings FY2024
High-volume district
3,625
Chapter 7
Near national share
3,157
Chapter 13
Above national share
113
Business
Below national share

Data updated September 2026

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The bottom line

6,807 bankruptcy cases moved through the Eastern District of Tennessee in FY2024, with Chapter 7 liquidations making up 53% of the total, a rise of 2.1% versus FY2023.

53%
Chapter 7 (liquidation)
46%
Chapter 13 (repayment)
1.7%
business filings
+2.1%
vs FY2023

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

Consumer-dominated case split, FY2024

AOUSC case-type split of the same 6,807 filings, orthogonal to the chapter mix farther down.

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

FY2024 total bankruptcy filings, AOUSC Judicial Caseload Statistics

6,807 Top 27% higher than 73% 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%). This entry sits in this band. 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 Tennessee 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 (#24 of 89)

4,0006,0008,00010,00012,00014,000 FY15FY16FY17FY18FY19FY20FY21FY22FY23FY24 6,807
Total bankruptcy filings in the Eastern District of Tennessee by fiscal year. Source: AOUSC Judicial Caseload Statistics.
Year Total Ch. 7 Ch. 11 Ch. 12 Ch. 13
FY2024 6,807 3,625 23 2 3,157
FY2023 6,670 3,594 12 1 3,063
FY2022 6,017 3,292 14 1 2,710
FY2021 6,234 4,029 16 4 2,185
FY2020 9,370 5,790 23 6 3,551
FY2019 12,239 6,866 22 4 5,347
FY2018 12,047 6,826 35 5 5,181
FY2017 11,960 6,571 42 6 5,341
FY2016 11,426 5,985 53 8 5,380
FY2015 11,614 6,172 35 7 5,400

Chapter 13-leaning mix & YoY trend

53%

Chapter 7 share

6,694

Consumer filings

  • Chapter 7 3,625 (53%)
  • Chapter 13 3,157 (46%)
  • Chapter 11 23 (0%)
  • Chapter 12 2 (0%)

Chapter breakdown of the 6,807 FY2024 filings in the Eastern District of Tennessee.

Year-over-year, the Eastern District of Tennessee saw filings climb 2.1% between FY2023 and FY2024.

Unemployment & filings, side by side

Tennessee's unemployment rate barely moved (3.4% in 2019 to 3.4% in 2023), while filings in the Eastern District of Tennessee fell 45.5% 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.

Heavy-third district caseload

Eastern District of Tennessee in the heavy-volume third

6,807 FY2024 filings put Eastern District of Tennessee in the heaviest third of federal districts.

Over FY2015–FY2024, filings in the Eastern District of Tennessee fell 41.4%, roughly tracking the national decline of 41.3% over the same span.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many bankruptcy cases were filed in the Eastern District of Tennessee in FY2024?

In FY2024, 6,807 bankruptcy cases were filed in the Eastern District of Tennessee, ranking it 24 out of 89 federal judicial districts by volume.

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

Business filings in the Eastern District of Tennessee totaled 113 in FY2024, compared with 6,694 non-business (consumer) filings.

Nationwide peers of a heavy-volume district

Two AOUSC peer sets for this heavy-volume Eastern District of Tennessee book in FY2024, both outside Tennessee (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 (6,807 here).

Eastern Wisconsin 6,832 Utah 6,657 Western Texas 6,627 Oregon 6,601

Similar Chapter 13 share

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

Eastern Texas 47% Ch.13 Southern Texas 46% Ch.13 Southern Florida 47% Ch.13 Southern Illinois 48% Ch.13

What to do with this

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

  • This district ranks #24 of 89 nationally by FY2024 filing volume - see how every federal district stacks up. National rankings
  • 53% 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 Tennessee is one federal district in Tennessee - see the full state rollup across every district. Tennessee 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 Tennessee FY2024 profile (#24 of 89 volume · #27 of 89 Ch.13 share · heavy-third district caseload) retrieved and formatted by PlainBankruptcy.