FY2018 Bankruptcy Filings
779,828 total filings nationwide (+1.6% from FY2017)
Statistical information only, not legal advice. Consult a bankruptcy attorney for guidance on your specific situation.
779,828
Total
100.0% of total
485,640
Chapter 7
62.3% of total
280,814
Chapter 13
36.0% of total
6,799
Chapter 11
0.9% of total
536
Chapter 12
0.1% of total
22,762
Business
2.9% of total
States by Total Filings, FY2018
| Rank | State | Total Filings |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 101,620 |
| 2 | Texas | 63,340 |
| 3 | Florida | 63,120 |
| 4 | Georgia | 55,949 |
| 5 | New York | 42,452 |
| 6 | Illinois | 35,095 |
| 7 | Tennessee | 35,095 |
| 8 | Ohio | 34,418 |
| 9 | Pennsylvania | 29,598 |
| 10 | Michigan | 27,991 |
| 11 | Alabama | 27,061 |
| 12 | North Carolina | 27,027 |
| 13 | New Jersey | 26,385 |
| 14 | Arizona | 23,817 |
| 15 | Virginia | 21,564 |
| 16 | Indiana | 21,275 |
| 17 | Louisiana | 18,351 |
| 18 | Missouri | 18,351 |
| 19 | Washington | 18,351 |
| 20 | Maryland | 16,455 |
| 21 | Nevada | 15,812 |
| 22 | Oklahoma | 15,137 |
| 23 | South Carolina | 15,137 |
| 24 | Colorado | 14,848 |
| 25 | Kentucky | 14,334 |
| 26 | Minnesota | 13,531 |
| 27 | Wisconsin | 13,531 |
| 28 | Mississippi | 13,370 |
| 29 | Massachusetts | 12,566 |
| 30 | Oregon | 12,566 |
| 31 | Utah | 11,924 |
| 32 | Arkansas | 9,385 |
| 33 | Kansas | 9,032 |
| 34 | Iowa | 7,746 |
| 35 | Connecticut | 6,173 |
| 36 | New Mexico | 6,172 |
| 37 | Nebraska | 5,497 |
| 38 | West Virginia | 5,208 |
| 39 | Idaho | 4,725 |
| 40 | Hawaii | 4,565 |
| 41 | Maine | 3,040 |
| 42 | Delaware | 3,038 |
| 43 | New Hampshire | 2,926 |
| 44 | Montana | 2,283 |
| 45 | Rhode Island | 2,283 |
| 46 | Alaska | 1,997 |
| 47 | Vermont | 1,480 |
| 48 | Wyoming | 1,480 |
| 49 | North Dakota | 1,319 |
| 50 | South Dakota | 1,319 |
| 51 | District of Columbia | 1,192 |
What the FY2018 National Data Shows
Federal bankruptcy courts recorded 779,828 total filings across all chapters in FY2018 - an increase of 1.6% from the 767,721 cases filed in FY2017. Chapter 7 liquidation remained the dominant filing type at 62.3% of the national caseload (485,640 cases), followed by Chapter 13 wage-earner repayment plans at 36.0% (280,814 cases). Chapter 11 reorganizations accounted for 0.87% (6,799 cases), and Chapter 12 family-farmer/fisherman filings totaled 536.
Business filings represented 2.9% of FY2018 activity (22,762 cases), leaving 757,066 consumer (non-business) filings. Geographic concentration matters: the top 51 states by volume, led by California with 101,620 cases, drive most of the caseload, and the top three states alone account for roughly 29.2% of national filings. National totals also reflect major macro-policy shifts: pandemic-era relief programs (moratoria, stimulus, student-loan pauses) pushed filings to multi-decade lows in FY2020–FY2022, while subsequent rate hikes and the unwinding of those programs have brought volumes back up.
These figures describe aggregate court activity; they are not an indicator of whether any individual should or should not file bankruptcy. Chapter choice, means-test eligibility, exemptions, and likely outcomes depend on a debtor's state of residence, income, asset mix, and the specific district's local rules and trustee practices. This page is statistical information only and is not legal advice; a licensed bankruptcy attorney is the appropriate source of guidance for a personal filing decision.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Related
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.