Roughly every 52 seconds, a US court receives a new bankruptcy case.
That is by my calculation from 608,511 cases filed in the 12 months to 30 June 2026, up 12.2% on the year before (U.S. Courts). Behind each one sits a month like this: three cards, three minimum payments, and a fourth card that pays for the first three.
What to know first. US courts received 608,511 bankruptcy cases in the year to 30 June 2026, up 12.2% from 542,529. Chapter 7 cases rose 14.7% to 382,161 and drove about 74.0% of the increase. Filings are up four years running but sit at about 38.0% of the 2010 peak, and the pace is slowing: individual filings rose 7% in September 2026, against 11% for the year to date.
Five years of increases
The 12-month total has risen every year since it hit a low of 380,634 in June 2022. Filings are now 59.9% above that low, but still well under 40% of the peak of nearly 1.6 million in September 2010 (U.S. Courts).
| Year to 30 June | Total filings | Personal (non-business) | Business | Change on prior year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 380,634 | 367,886 | 12,748 | n/a |
| 2023 | 418,724 | 403,000 | 15,724 | 10.0% |
| 2024 | 486,613 | 464,553 | 22,060 | 16.2% |
| 2025 | 542,529 | 519,486 | 23,043 | 11.5% |
| 2026 | 608,511 | 581,570 | 26,941 | 12.2% |
Personal filings are about 95.6% of the total, and rose 12.0%. Business filings are small by comparison but grew faster, up 16.9% to 26,941.
Which chapter is driving it
Chapter 7 is the route where eligible debts such as credit cards and medical bills can be wiped out after a court process. Chapter 13 sets up a repayment plan, usually over three to five years, for people with regular income. The comparison is in Chapter 7 vs Chapter 13.
| Chapter | Year to June 2025 | Year to June 2026 | Change | Share of 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chapter 7 | 333,321 | 382,161 | 14.7% | 62.8% |
| Chapter 13 | 200,290 | 215,490 | 7.6% | 35.4% |
| Chapter 11 (mostly business) | 8,408 | 10,320 | 22.7% | 1.7% |
| Chapter 12 (family farms and fishing) | 282 | 336 | 19.1% | 0.1% |
Here is the part the headline hides. Chapter 7 added 48,840 cases of the 65,982 total increase, about 74.0%. Chapter 13 has gone the other way as a share: it made up 41.4% of filings in the year to June 2023 and 35.4% now. More people are filing for the quick route, not the repayment plan. A reasonable reading is that fewer households have spare income to commit to a multi-year plan, though the court data does not say why.
Is the rise slowing?
Epiq AACER, which tracks filings from court data, published figures on 8 October 2026 for January to September. They use a different source and period from the U.S. Courts totals, so do not mix the two. Within the Epiq numbers, the direction is clear: growth is cooling.
| Measure | Jan to Sep 2026 | Jan to Sep 2025 | Change | September 2026 alone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Individual filings | 444,252 | 399,379 | +11% | +7% (49,672) |
| Individual Chapter 7 | 282,413 | 249,130 | +13% | +9% (31,250) |
| Individual Chapter 13 | 160,817 | 149,347 | +8% | +4% (18,320) |
| Commercial Chapter 11 | 6,560 | 5,895 | +11% | -16% (648) |
| Subchapter V (small business) | 2,442 | 1,672 | +46% | +38% (276) |
The 12-month rate to June was 12.2%. The nine-month rate to September is 11%, and September itself is 7%. Individual Chapter 7 is still growing faster than Chapter 13 in both periods, and it was 63.6% of individual filings so far this year against 62.4% a year earlier. Small businesses are the one fast-growing pocket: Subchapter V elections, the streamlined Chapter 11 route for small companies, are up 46% year to date.
What it costs to file
The court filing fee is $338 for Chapter 7 and $313 for Chapter 13, according to the Southern District of California bankruptcy court. For Chapter 7, the court can approve installments or waive the fee if your income is below 150% of the federal poverty guidelines. The court does not take personal checks or credit cards from debtors for fees. Lawyer fees are separate and are not in these figures.
What these numbers do not tell you
- They count cases, not people. A married couple filing jointly is one case with one fee.
- They count the end of the road. A filing comes after months or years of missed or minimum payments. A card where you pay only the minimum can take decades to clear; the minimum payment trap calculator shows how long yours would take.
- They do not show who avoided filing. Many people with the same debts never file because they settled, consolidated or negotiated a plan instead.
For household debt levels behind these filings, see US debt statistics, which tracks the Federal Reserve and New York Fed data.
If you are weighing bankruptcy yourself
- Work out your debt-to-income ratio with the debt-to-income calculator. It is the quickest way to see whether payments, not just balances, are the problem.
- Price the alternatives. The debt settlement calculator and consolidation vs settlement vs bankruptcy compare costs side by side.
- Talk to a nonprofit counselor first. The National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) offers counseling at nfcc.org or 877-360-6322.
- If you still think you will file, read Chapter 7 vs Chapter 13 and speak to a bankruptcy attorney before you sign anything.
Two common starting points are cards and medical bills: credit card debt in the US and medical debt cover both.
Questions people ask at 2am
How many people file for bankruptcy in the US each year?
Courts received 608,511 bankruptcy cases in the 12 months to 30 June 2026 (U.S. Courts). That counts cases, not people: when married debtors file a joint petition, it is one case with one filing fee.
Is bankruptcy going up in 2026?
Yes. Filings rose 12.2% in the year to 30 June 2026. Epiq AACER reports individual filings up 11% in January to September, but only 7% in September alone, so the rise is slowing.
Which bankruptcy chapter is most common?
Chapter 7. It made up 382,161 of the 608,511 cases in the year to June 2026, about 62.8%. Chapter 13 was next with 215,490.
How much does it cost to file for bankruptcy?
The court filing fee is $338 for Chapter 7 and $313 for Chapter 13, according to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of California. A Chapter 7 fee can be paid in installments or waived if your income is below 150% of the federal poverty guidelines.
Are bankruptcy filings higher now than in 2010?
No. Total filings peaked at nearly 1.6 million in September 2010. The 12-month total to June 2026 is 608,511, about 38.0% of that peak.
Does a rise in filings mean the economy is getting worse?
Not by itself. Filings come at the end of a long period of missed payments, so they trail the pressure on households. They are up four years running from the June 2022 low of 380,634, but still far below the 2010 level.
More US help: US debt relief.
Disclaimer. DebtShift is an educational platform operated by H Ali Logistics Ltd. This article is general education, not legal or financial advice. For free, nonprofit credit counseling, contact the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) at nfcc.org or 877-360-6322.
Sources
- U.S. Courts, Bankruptcies Rise 12.2 Percent (28 July 2026)
- Epiq AACER, Small Business Subchapter V Elections Increase 46% Compared to Last Year (8 October 2026)
- U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of California, Filing fees
Last reviewed October 2026.
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