National ranking · FY2024 · AOUSC

States with the Lowest Bankruptcy Filing Rate

All 50 states and DC ranked by total bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents, from lowest to highest filing rate.

89.3
Leader: South Dakota: 172.8
Median state: 51
Jurisdictions: 0.3×
Top-to-bottom spread

Data updated August 2026

According to the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AOUSC), 485,341 bankruptcy cases were filed across the federal judicial districts in fiscal year 2024. The rankings below divide each state's filings by its U.S. Census Bureau population to compare jurisdictions on a like-for-like, per-100,000-resident basis. See our methodology for how every rate is calculated. This rate measures reported filing activity relative to population, not financial wellbeing or legal eligibility. The ranking cannot establish why states differ or predict an individual outcome.

The bottom line

South Dakota leads with 89.3 per 100k, about 0.3× the rate of Alabama (329.7). Alabama is the #51 bottom of this complete jurisdiction list. The median state sits near 172.8.

89.3
South Dakota (highest): 329.7
Alabama (lowest): 172.8
median jurisdiction: 0.3×
spread between extremes

Per 100,000 residents · 51 jurisdictions · FY2024 · AOUSC Judicial Caseload Statistics.

What This Ranking Tells Us

This ranking compares reported federal bankruptcy filings relative to each jurisdiction's population in the selected fiscal year. A low rate is not evidence that residents have less debt, stronger finances, or different legal eligibility. It is a descriptive court-data comparison whose figures should be read with the source vintage and population denominator in view.

The map view

Every jurisdiction shaded by its per 100k - darker is higher. Select a state for its full profile.

Per 100K by state, FY2024. Source: AOUSC Judicial Caseload Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau (population).

AK ME

VT NH

WA ID MT ND MN IL WI MI NY MA

OR UT WY SD IA IN OH PA NJ CT RI

CA NV CO NE MO KY WV VA MD DE

AZ NM KS AR TN NC SC DC

OK LA MS AL GA

HI TX FL

Scale: 89–137 137–185 185–234 234–282 282–330

View all 51 states as a list

#	State	Per 100K
1	South Dakota	89.3
2	North Dakota	104.7
3	Connecticut	106.2
4	District of Columbia	109.3
5	Massachusetts	111.7
6	Montana	126.6
7	Texas	129.2
8	Rhode Island	129.7
9	New Hampshire	129.9
10	Maine	134.9
11	New York	135.0
12	Pennsylvania	142.1
13	Vermont	142.2
14	Wisconsin	142.5
15	Washington	146.2
16	Minnesota	146.8
17	Idaho	149.7
18	Iowa	150.3
19	Virginia	154.0
20	Colorado	157.2
21	North Carolina	157.2
22	Wyoming	157.7
23	California	162.3
24	Maryland	165.7
25	Alaska	169.4
26	New Jersey	172.8
27	Nebraska	172.9
28	Michigan	173.6
29	Florida	173.7
30	Illinois	174.0
31	South Carolina	175.3
32	New Mexico	181.7
33	Ohio	181.8
34	West Virginia	182.6
35	Delaware	183.3
36	Missouri	184.3
37	Oregon	184.7
38	Arkansas	190.4
39	Kansas	191.1
40	Indiana	193.0
41	Kentucky	197.1
42	Hawaii	198.0
43	Arizona	199.5
44	Utah	217.1
45	Oklahoma	232.4
46	Louisiana	249.7
47	Mississippi	283.1
48	Tennessee	306.5
49	Nevada	308.1
50	Georgia	315.7
51	Alabama	329.7

Source: Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AOUSC), Judicial Caseload Statistics.

What This Ranking Actually Shows

This ranking covers 51 jurisdictions with per 100k values sourced from AOUSC Judicial Caseload Statistics. The leading state, South Dakota, posts 89.3, while the trailing state, Alabama, posts 329.7 - a spread of -240.4 points and a ratio of roughly 0.3x between the extremes. The median jurisdiction sits near 172.8, giving a quick sense of where a "typical" state falls versus the leaders and laggards.

The top of this list (South Dakota, North Dakota, Connecticut) and the bottom of this list (Alabama, Georgia, Nevada) have materially different reported rates in this fiscal-year extract. This ranking compares reported federal bankruptcy filings relative to each jurisdiction's population in the selected fiscal year. A low rate is not evidence that residents have less debt, stronger finances, or different legal eligibility. It is a descriptive court-data comparison whose figures should be read with the source vintage and population denominator in view. The ranking itself does not identify the cause of those differences or predict an individual legal or financial outcome.

Rankings describe aggregate populations of court filings across a full fiscal year; they do not predict the result of any single case. A state's position on this list describes the local filing environment, not a recommendation to file. This page is statistical information only and is not legal advice.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does a low filing rate mean people have less debt?

No. This dataset reports bankruptcy filings and population; it does not measure household debt or financial wellbeing. A rate alone cannot explain why a jurisdiction has more or fewer filings.

Which factors keep bankruptcy rates low?

This source cannot answer that causal question. It supports a comparison of reported filing rates only; explaining a state's position would require additional, specifically sourced research.

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Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

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Data sourced from Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AOUSC) Judicial Caseload Statistics. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainBankruptcy

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.