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Federal judicial district · FY2024 · AOUSC

Southern District of Texas

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

8,258
Total filings FY2024
High-volume district
4,028
Chapter 7
Below national share
3,401
Chapter 13
Near national share
1,278
Business
Above national share

Data updated September 2026

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The bottom line

8,258 bankruptcy cases moved through the Southern District of Texas in FY2024, with Chapter 7 liquidations making up 49% of the total, a rise of 15.9% versus FY2023.

49%
Chapter 7 (liquidation)
41%
Chapter 13 (repayment)
15.5%
business filings
+15.9%
vs FY2023

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

Business-heavy case split, FY2024

AOUSC case-type split of the same 8,258 filings, orthogonal to the chapter mix farther down.

Southern District of Texas: filing volume vs. every federal judicial district

FY2024 total bankruptcy filings, AOUSC Judicial Caseload Statistics

8,258 Top 20% higher than 80% 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%). Below this entry. 7,500–9,000: 4 federal judicial districts (4%). This entry sits in this band. 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. Southern Texas 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 (#18 of 89)

4,0006,0008,00010,00012,000 FY15FY16FY17FY18FY19FY20FY21FY22FY23FY24 8,258
Total bankruptcy filings in the Southern District of Texas by fiscal year. Source: AOUSC Judicial Caseload Statistics.
Year Total Ch. 7 Ch. 11 Ch. 12 Ch. 13
FY2024 8,258 4,028 809 0 3,401
FY2023 7,124 2,862 1,008 2 3,247
FY2022 5,358 2,525 444 0 2,389
FY2021 5,760 3,310 753 0 1,645
FY2020 8,330 3,925 1,159 2 3,221
FY2019 10,062 4,284 371 8 5,399
FY2018 9,056 3,803 472 5 4,776
FY2017 10,009 3,669 476 4 5,857
FY2016 9,072 3,228 322 2 5,514
FY2015 9,313 3,234 162 2 5,911

Upper-band YoY trend & chapter mix

49%

Chapter 7 share

6,980

Consumer filings

  • Chapter 7 4,028 (49%)
  • Chapter 13 3,401 (41%)
  • Chapter 11 809 (10%)

Chapter breakdown of the 8,258 FY2024 filings in the Southern District of Texas.

Year-over-year, the Southern District of Texas saw filings climb 15.9% between FY2023 and FY2024.

Unemployment & filings, side by side

Texas's unemployment rate barely moved (4.1% in 2019 to 4.1% in 2023), while filings in the Southern District of Texas fell 29.2% 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.

Heavy-third district caseload

Southern District of Texas in the heavy-volume third

8,258 FY2024 filings put Southern District of Texas in the heaviest third of federal districts.

The Southern District of Texas's decade trend, FY2015-FY2024: filings fell 11.3%, 30.0 points above the national decline of 41.3%.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many bankruptcy filings did the Southern District of Texas have in FY2024?

The Southern District of Texas had 8,258 bankruptcy filings in FY2024, the #18 busiest of the 89 federal districts by filing volume.

What share of filings in this district are business cases?

In FY2024, 1,278 of the Southern District of Texas's filings were business cases, versus 6,980 non-business (consumer) filings.

Nationwide peers of a heavy-volume district

Two AOUSC peer sets for this heavy-volume Southern District of Texas book in FY2024, both outside Texas (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 (8,258 here).

Minnesota 8,231 Western Tennessee 8,115 Nevada 7,992 Colorado 7,496

Similar Chapter 13 share

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

Eastern Tennessee 47% Ch.13 Southern Florida 47% Ch.13 Southern Illinois 48% Ch.13 Eastern Virginia 44% Ch.13

What to do with this

Southern District of Texas's own numbers, then where to compare them.

  • This district ranks #18 of 89 nationally by FY2024 filing volume - see how every federal district stacks up. National rankings
  • 49% 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
  • Southern District of Texas is one federal district in Texas - see the full state rollup across every district. Texas 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. Southern District of Texas FY2024 profile (#18 of 89 volume · #28 of 89 Ch.13 share · heavy-third district caseload) retrieved and formatted by PlainBankruptcy.