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Federal judicial district · FY2024 · AOUSC

Western District of Wisconsin

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

2,629
Total filings FY2024
Lower-volume district
1,780
Chapter 7
Near national share
834
Chapter 13
Below national share
73
Business
Below national share

Data updated September 2026

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The bottom line

FY2024 closed with 2,629 filings in the Western District of Wisconsin, 68% Chapter 7, up 19.3% on FY2023.

68%
Chapter 7 (liquidation)
32%
Chapter 13 (repayment)
2.8%
business filings
+19.3%
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 2,629 filings, orthogonal to the chapter mix farther down.

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

FY2024 total bankruptcy filings, AOUSC Judicial Caseload Statistics

2,629 31st percentile higher than 31% 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%). This entry sits in this band. 3,000–4,500: 13 federal judicial districts (15%). Above this entry. 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 Wisconsin 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

Light-volume filing history (#61 of 89)

2,0003,0004,0005,000 FY15FY16FY17FY18FY19FY20FY21FY22FY23FY24 2,629
Total bankruptcy filings in the Western District of Wisconsin by fiscal year. Source: AOUSC Judicial Caseload Statistics.
Year Total Ch. 7 Ch. 11 Ch. 12 Ch. 13
FY2024 2,629 1,780 15 0 834
FY2023 2,203 1,494 10 0 699
FY2022 2,174 1,569 13 4 588
FY2021 2,757 2,264 19 28 446
FY2020 3,595 2,886 16 43 650
FY2019 4,350 3,469 15 36 830
FY2018 4,409 3,599 10 30 770
FY2017 4,462 3,667 24 26 745
FY2016 4,498 3,676 20 20 782
FY2015 4,827 4,019 18 18 772

Upper-band YoY trend & chapter mix

68%

Chapter 7 share

2,556

Consumer filings

  • Chapter 7 1,780 (68%)
  • Chapter 13 834 (32%)
  • Chapter 11 15 (1%)

The 2,629 FY2024 filings in the Western District of Wisconsin, broken down by chapter.

Year-over-year, the Western District of Wisconsin saw filings climb 19.3% between FY2023 and FY2024.

Unemployment & filings, side by side

With Wisconsin unemployment essentially unchanged (3.1% to 3.1%), the Western District of Wisconsin's 49.4% 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.

Upper-band YoY rebound

Western District of Wisconsin in the light-volume third

FY2024 filings rose 19.3% vs FY2023 — a sharp year-over-year move for Western District of Wisconsin.

Looking back to FY2015, the Western District of Wisconsin has lost 45.5% in filing volume through FY2024, 4.2 points below the national decline of 41.3%.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

In FY2024, 2,629 bankruptcy cases were filed in the Western District of Wisconsin, ranking it 61 out of 89 federal judicial districts by volume.

What share of filings in this district are business cases?

In FY2024, 73 of the Western District of Wisconsin's filings were business cases, versus 2,556 non-business (consumer) filings.

Nationwide peers of a light-volume district

Two AOUSC peer sets for this light-volume Western District of Wisconsin book in FY2024, both outside Wisconsin (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 (2,629 here).

Central Illinois 2,670 Delaware 2,752 Eastern Louisiana 2,456 Nebraska 2,417

Similar Chapter 13 share

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

Eastern Michigan 32% Ch.13 Southern Ohio 31% Ch.13 Western Michigan 31% Ch.13 Western New York 34% Ch.13

What to do with this

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

  • This district ranks #61 of 89 nationally by FY2024 filing volume - see how every federal district stacks up. National rankings
  • 68% 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 Wisconsin is one federal district in Wisconsin - see the full state rollup across every district. Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin FY2024 profile (#61 of 89 volume · #51 of 89 Ch.13 share · upper-band yoy rebound) retrieved and formatted by PlainBankruptcy.