States ›Virginia › Western District of Virginia

Federal judicial district · FY2024 · AOUSC

Western District of Virginia

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

3,130
Total filings FY2024
Mid-volume district
1,855
Chapter 7
Near national share
1,260
Chapter 13
Near national share
70
Business
Below national share

Data updated September 2026

Subscribe (RSS) My watchlist

The bottom line

The Western District of Virginia recorded 3,130 bankruptcy filings in FY2024, 59% of them Chapter 7 liquidations - up 7.9% from FY2023.

59%
Chapter 7 (liquidation)
40%
Chapter 13 (repayment)
2.2%
business filings
+7.9%
vs FY2023

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

Consumer-dominated case split, FY2024

AOUSC case-type split of the same 3,130 filings, orthogonal to the chapter mix farther down.

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

FY2024 total bankruptcy filings, AOUSC Judicial Caseload Statistics

3,130 35th percentile higher than 35% 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 Virginia 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

2,0003,0004,0005,0006,000 FY15FY16FY17FY18FY19FY20FY21FY22FY23FY24 3,130
Total bankruptcy filings in the Western District of Virginia by fiscal year. Source: AOUSC Judicial Caseload Statistics.
Year Total Ch. 7 Ch. 11 Ch. 12 Ch. 13
FY2024 3,130 1,855 15 0 1,260
FY2023 2,902 1,567 12 1 1,322
FY2022 2,658 1,548 19 1 1,090
FY2021 3,099 2,147 12 2 938
FY2020 4,290 2,634 20 6 1,630
FY2019 5,619 3,302 21 3 2,293
FY2018 5,435 3,254 17 6 2,158
FY2017 5,458 3,309 18 5 2,126
FY2016 5,595 3,407 21 7 2,160
FY2015 5,585 3,544 48 5 1,988

Year-over-Year Trend & Chapter Mix

59%

Chapter 7 share

3,060

Consumer filings

  • Chapter 7 1,855 (59%)
  • Chapter 13 1,260 (40%)
  • Chapter 11 15 (0%)

The 3,130 FY2024 filings in the Western District of Virginia, broken down by chapter.

Filings increased 7.9% from FY2023 to FY2024 in the Western District of Virginia.

Unemployment & filings, side by side

With Virginia unemployment essentially unchanged (3.0% to 3.0%), the Western District of Virginia's 48.4% 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.

Consumer-dominated district

Western District of Virginia vs. the National Trend

Business filings are only 2.2% of FY2024 vs national 4.5%; consumer dockets dominate the Western District of Virginia.

Over FY2015–FY2024, filings in the Western District of Virginia fell 44.0%, 2.6 points below the national decline of 41.3% over the same span.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

The Western District of Virginia had 3,130 bankruptcy filings in FY2024, the #58 busiest of the 89 federal districts by filing volume.

What share of filings in this district are business cases?

In FY2024, 70 of the Western District of Virginia's filings were business cases, versus 3,060 non-business (consumer) filings.

Nationwide districts with similar filing profiles

Two AOUSC peer sets for the Western District of Virginia in FY2024, both outside Virginia 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 (3,130 here).

Middle Pennsylvania 3,242 Connecticut 3,271 Western Michigan 3,490 Delaware 2,752

Similar Chapter 13 share

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

New Jersey 41% Ch.13 Eastern New York 40% Ch.13 Eastern Wisconsin 39% Ch.13 Eastern Missouri 42% Ch.13

What to do with this

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

  • This district ranks #58 of 89 nationally by FY2024 filing volume - see how every federal district stacks up. National rankings
  • 59% 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 Virginia is one federal district in Virginia - see the full state rollup across every district. Virginia 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 Virginia FY2024 profile (#58 of 89 volume · #36 of 89 Ch.13 share · consumer-dominated district) retrieved and formatted by PlainBankruptcy.