Bankruptcy Rankings

States ranked by bankruptcy filing rates across different categories. All data from the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.

These rankings measure filing activity relative to population, not residents' financial distress or responsibility directly. State exemption laws, means-test income thresholds, and local legal culture all influence how often residents use bankruptcy court.

Highest Bankruptcy Filing Rate

States with the most bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents.

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  1. 1 Alabama 374.4
  2. 2 Mississippi 301.6
  3. 3 Tennessee 279.6
  4. 4 Delaware 266.7
  5. 5 Georgia 262.6

Lowest Bankruptcy Filing Rate

States with the fewest bankruptcy filings per capita.

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  1. 1 Alaska 29.4
  2. 2 Vermont 39.7
  3. 3 Maine 40.0
  4. 4 New Hampshire 61.1
  5. 5 District of Columbia 64.7

Highest Chapter 7 Filing Rate

States where Chapter 7 liquidation bankruptcy is most common per capita.

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  1. 1 Nevada 202.5
  2. 2 Ohio 147.9
  3. 3 Michigan 136.0
  4. 4 Indiana 132.3
  5. 5 Oklahoma 130.3

Highest Chapter 13 Filing Rate

States where Chapter 13 repayment plan filings are most common per capita.

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  1. 1 Alabama 261.9
  2. 2 Mississippi 172.3
  3. 3 Tennessee 163.4
  4. 4 Louisiana 153.3
  5. 5 Georgia 152.9

Download the AOUSC state-filings extract cited on this page: aousc-state-filings.csv (same CSV as /statistics/, CC0).

Every figure on PlainBankruptcy is rendered directly from federal court source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on federal court source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.