States ›West Virginia › Southern District of West Virginia

Federal judicial district · FY2024 · AOUSC

Southern District of West Virginia

According to AOUSC Judicial Caseload Statistics, every Chapter 7, 11, 12, and 13 bankruptcy petition recorded in the Southern District of West Virginia is covered here.

961
Total filings FY2024
Lower-volume district
806
Chapter 7
Above national share
141
Chapter 13
Below national share
69
Business
Above national share

Data updated September 2026

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The bottom line

961 bankruptcy cases moved through the Southern District of West Virginia in FY2024, with Chapter 7 liquidations making up 84% of the total, a rise of 16.6% versus FY2023.

84%
Chapter 7 (liquidation)
15%
Chapter 13 (repayment)
7.2%
business filings
+16.6%
vs FY2023

Fiscal year runs Oct–Sep; all cases here are federal, not state, filings. Not legal advice.

Business-heavy case split, FY2024

AOUSC case-type split of the same 961 filings, orthogonal to the chapter mix farther down.

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

FY2024 total bankruptcy filings, AOUSC Judicial Caseload Statistics

961 12th percentile higher than 12% of 89 federal judicial districts

0–1,500: 17 federal judicial districts (19%). This entry sits in this band. 1,500–3,000: 14 federal judicial districts (16%). Above this entry. 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. Southern West 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

Light-volume filing history (#78 of 89)

5001,0001,5002,0002,500 FY15FY16FY17FY18FY19FY20FY21FY22FY23FY24 961
Total bankruptcy filings in the Southern District of West Virginia by fiscal year. Source: AOUSC Judicial Caseload Statistics.
Year Total Ch. 7 Ch. 11 Ch. 12 Ch. 13
FY2024 961 806 14 0 141
FY2023 824 698 9 0 117
FY2022 834 713 7 0 114
FY2021 1,041 947 9 0 85
FY2020 1,474 1,318 25 0 131
FY2019 1,730 1,491 35 1 203
FY2018 1,906 1,684 24 0 198
FY2017 1,976 1,731 27 2 216
FY2016 2,002 1,754 32 0 216
FY2015 1,925 1,652 16 1 256

Upper-band YoY trend & chapter mix

84%

Chapter 7 share

892

Consumer filings

  • Chapter 7 806 (84%)
  • Chapter 13 141 (15%)
  • Chapter 11 14 (1%)

Chapter breakdown of the 961 FY2024 filings in the Southern District of West Virginia.

From FY2023 to FY2024, the Southern District of West Virginia's filing volume went up 16.6%.

Unemployment & filings, side by side

With West Virginia unemployment essentially unchanged (4.2% to 4.2%), the Southern District of West Virginia's 52.4% 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.

Light-third district caseload

Southern District of West Virginia in the light-volume third

961 FY2024 filings put Southern District of West Virginia in the lightest third of federal districts.

Between FY2015 and FY2024, the Southern District of West Virginia's filing count fell 50.1%, 8.8 points below the national decline of 41.3%.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

The Southern District of West Virginia had 961 bankruptcy filings in FY2024, the #78 busiest of the 89 federal districts by filing volume.

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

The Southern District of West Virginia had 69 business filings and 892 non-business (consumer) filings in FY2024.

Nationwide peers of a light-volume district

Two AOUSC peer sets for this light-volume Southern District of West Virginia book in FY2024, both outside West Virginia (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 (961 here).

Rhode Island 904 Eastern Oklahoma 1,043 New Hampshire 857 Middle Louisiana 1,112

Similar Chapter 13 share

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

Montana 14% Ch.13 Central California 16% Ch.13 New Mexico 14% Ch.13 Wyoming 13% Ch.13

What to do with this

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

  • This district ranks #78 of 89 nationally by FY2024 filing volume - see how every federal district stacks up. National rankings
  • 84% 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 West Virginia is one federal district in West Virginia - see the full state rollup across every district. West 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. Southern District of West Virginia FY2024 profile (#78 of 89 volume · #80 of 89 Ch.13 share · light-third district caseload) retrieved and formatted by PlainBankruptcy.