Bankruptcy Filings Continue to Decline

Updated 3/5/2021: Due to technical changes, the total bankruptcy filings by chapter table was updated.

Bankruptcy filings fell by 0.9 percent for the 12-month period ending March 31, 2019, compared with the year ending March 31, 2018. According to statistics released by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, the March 2019 annual bankruptcy filings totaled 772,646, compared with 779,828 cases in the previous year.

The data continues a national trend of declining bankruptcy filings since 2011. 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. 

Additional statistics released today include:

• Business and non-business bankruptcy filings for the 12-month period ending March 31, 2019. (Table F-2, Business and Non-Business Commenced by Chapter),
• A comparison of 12-month data from March 2018 and March 2019 (Table F),
• First quarter filings, (Table F-2, 3-Month); and filings by month (Tables F-2 by Month, January, February, March),
• Bankruptcy filings by county (Table F-5A).

Learn more about bankruptcy and bankruptcy court rules, or search historical data on bankruptcy filings.