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Federal judicial district · FY2024 · AOUSC

Western District of Washington

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

6,154
Total filings FY2024
High-volume district
4,642
Chapter 7
Above national share
1,450
Chapter 13
Below national share
226
Business
Below national share

Data updated September 2026

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The bottom line

FY2024 closed with 6,154 filings in the Western District of Washington, 75% Chapter 7, up 35.3% on FY2023.

75%
Chapter 7 (liquidation)
24%
Chapter 13 (repayment)
3.7%
business filings
+35.3%
vs FY2023

Filed in federal, not state, court; counted by fiscal year (Oct–Sep). Not legal advice.

Consumer vs business filings, FY2024

AOUSC case-type split of the same 6,154 filings, orthogonal to the chapter mix farther down.

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

FY2024 total bankruptcy filings, AOUSC Judicial Caseload Statistics

6,154 Top 34% higher than 66% 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. Western Washington 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

05,00010,00015,00020,000 FY15FY16FY17FY18FY19FY20FY21FY22FY23FY24 6,154
Total bankruptcy filings in the Western District of Washington by fiscal year. Source: AOUSC Judicial Caseload Statistics.
Year Total Ch. 7 Ch. 11 Ch. 12 Ch. 13
FY2024 6,154 4,642 62 0 1,450
FY2023 4,548 3,333 40 0 1,175
FY2022 3,896 2,925 41 0 930
FY2021 4,875 3,938 59 0 878
FY2020 7,152 5,313 77 5 1,757
FY2019 9,343 6,601 61 2 2,679
FY2018 9,995 7,134 71 1 2,789
FY2017 11,129 7,879 76 7 3,166
FY2016 12,739 9,178 100 3 3,457
FY2015 14,567 10,904 94 1 3,568

Upper-band YoY trend & chapter mix

75%

Chapter 7 share

5,928

Consumer filings

  • Chapter 7 4,642 (75%)
  • Chapter 13 1,450 (24%)
  • Chapter 11 62 (1%)

How the 6,154 FY2024 filings split across the four bankruptcy chapters.

Western District of Washington filings rose 35.3% year-over-year, from FY2023 to FY2024.

Unemployment & filings, side by side

Washington's unemployment rate barely moved (4.5% in 2019 to 4.5% in 2023), while filings in the Western District of Washington fell 51.3% 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 Washington's Chapter 7-heavy mix

FY2024 filings rose 35.3% vs FY2023 — a sharp year-over-year move for Western District of Washington.

Over FY2015–FY2024, filings in the Western District of Washington fell 57.8%, 16.4 points below the national decline of 41.3% over the same span.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many bankruptcy filings did the Western District of Washington have in FY2024?

The Western District of Washington had 6,154 bankruptcy filings in FY2024, the #30 busiest of the 89 federal districts by filing volume.

What is the difference between business and non-business bankruptcy filings?

The Western District of Washington had 226 business filings and 5,928 non-business (consumer) filings in FY2024.

Nationwide districts with similar filing profiles

Two AOUSC peer sets for the Western District of Washington in FY2024, both outside Washington 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 (6,154 here).

Northern Indiana 6,278 Middle Georgia 6,018 Western Kentucky 5,844 Middle Alabama 5,840

Similar Chapter 13 share

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

Northern West Virginia 24% Ch.13 Western Oklahoma 23% Ch.13 South Dakota 25% Ch.13 Northern New York 25% Ch.13

What to do with this

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

  • This district ranks #30 of 89 nationally by FY2024 filing volume - see how every federal district stacks up. National rankings
  • 75% 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 Washington is one federal district in Washington - see the full state rollup across every district. Washington 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 Washington FY2024 profile (#30 of 89 volume · #67 of 89 Ch.13 share · upper-band yoy rebound) retrieved and formatted by PlainBankruptcy.