Bankruptcy filings fell by 2.2 percent for the 12-month period ending September 30, 2018, compared with the year ending September 30, 2017, continuing a series of slight annual declines in new cases.
The September 2018 annual bankruptcy filings totaled 773,375, compared with 790,830 cases in the previous year, according to statistics released by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. The number of bankruptcy cases filed was the lowest for any 12-month period since the year ending June 2007.
A national wave of bankruptcies that began in 2008 reached a peak in the year ending September 2010, when nearly 1.6 million bankruptcies were filed.
| Year | Business | Non-Business | Total |
| 2018 | 22,103 | 751,272 | 773,375 |
| 2017 | 23,109 | 767,721 | 790,830 |
| 2016 | 24,457 | 781,123 | 805,580 |
| 2015 | 24,985 | 835,197 | 860,182 |
| 2014 | 28,319 | 935,420 | 963,739 |
| Year | Chapter | |||
| 7 | 11 | 12 | 13 | |
| 2018 | 477,248 | 7,014 | 468 | 288,550 |
| 2017 | 486,542 | 7,052 | 508 | 296,599 |
| 2016 | 498,367 | 7,450 | 458 | 299,150 |
| 2015 | 550,036 | 7,040 | 383 | 302,642 |
| 2014 | 642,366 | 7,658 | 372 | 313,262 |
Additional statistics released today include:
- Business and non-business bankruptcy filings for the 12-month period ending September 30, 2018 (Table F-2, 12-month);
- A comparison of September 2017 and 2018 filings (Table F);
- 4th quarter filings (Table F-2, 3-month); filings for July, August, and September 2018 (Table F-2, Monthly).
- Bankruptcy filings by county (Report F-5A).
Learn more about bankruptcy and bankruptcy court rules, or search historical data on bankruptcy filings.
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