Legal Filings

Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Filings (YoY % Change)

Year-over-year change in Chapter 7 bankruptcy filings

What is the current Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Filings (YoY % Change) reading?

CHAPTER 7 FILINGS YOY CHANGE
14.7%
year-over-year change in rolling-year Chapter 7 filings

Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Filings (YoY % Change): 14.7% as of 2026-Q2. Source: Computed from Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts Table F-2.

The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts reported Chapter 7 filings changed 14.7% year over year for Q2 2026.

Chapter 7 is the liquidation chapter of the Bankruptcy Code. A trustee may liquidate non-exempt assets, and eligible debts may be discharged through the court process.

The filing count records cases, not a household's motive, assets, income, or eventual discharge outcome.

Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts data show rolling-year Chapter 7 filings changed 14.7% year over year for Q2 2026. This series compares filing totals with the same quarter a year earlier; movement in that rate is acceleration or deceleration, not proof that the underlying filing count reversed direction.

Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 are different legal pathways. This series reports Chapter 7 filing growth; it does not by itself establish why filers chose one chapter or whether other household-distress indicators caused the change.

Source: Computed from Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts Table F-2 · Source data ↗ · Latest: 2026-Q2
Related signals confirming this trend
The Wipeout Ratio
1.8x
Chapter 7-to-Chapter 13 filing composition from rolling-year U.S. Courts totals
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Charge-Off Rate on All Loans
0.57% ↓ Improving
Write-downs have eased across the past year
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CFPB Consumer Complaint Volume
707K
Consumer complaints keep the CFPB channel in focus
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Explore Further

📊 Bankruptcy Statistics 2026 → 🛟 Bankruptcy: What to Know → 📖 What Is Chapter 7 Bankruptcy? → 📖 What Is Means Test? →

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How has Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Filings (YoY % Change) changed over time?

CSV Chart Card
Chapter 7 bankruptcy filings, year-over-year change
Change in rolling-year Chapter 7 filings, Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts
Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Filings (YoY % Change)
Data: Computed from Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts Table F-2 Updated Jul 2026

Most affected counties

Counties with the highest default and legal scores in the County Distress Index.

1 Coahoma County MS 99 2 Clayton County GA 98.8 3 Petersburg city VA 98.8 4 Russell County AL 98.2 5 Dougherty County GA 98.2 6 Dallas County AL 98.1 7 Bibb County GA 97.8 8 Lauderdale County TN 97.1 9 Crittenden County AR 96.9 10 Montgomery County AL 96.9
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Historical data
Quarterly · Computed from Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts Table F-2
Period Value YoY Change
Q2 2026 14.7% -2.3 pp
Q1 2026 15.3% -2.6 pp
Q4 2025 14.8% -4.1 pp
Q3 2025 15.5% -4.6 pp
Q2 2025 17% -2.2 pp
Q1 2025 17.9% —
Q4 2024 18.9% —
Q3 2024 20.1% —
Q2 2024 19.2% —

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Filings (YoY % Change)?

Year-over-year change in Chapter 7 bankruptcy filings

Why does Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Filings (YoY % Change) matter for financial distress?

Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Filings (YoY % Change) is one of the indicators tracked by the American Distress Index (ADI), which measures five dimensions of U.S. household financial distress: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Changes in this indicator contribute to the overall distress picture.

Where does the Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Filings (YoY % Change) data come from?

This data comes from Computed from Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts Table F-2. More information: https://www.uscourts.gov/data-table-numbers/f-2. The American Distress Index updates this indicator quarterly.

Ross Kilburn
Written by

Ross Kilburn, Founder

American Default Research · Seattle, Washington
𝕏 @

Two decades working directly with financially distressed American households — from property preservation in 2003, to negotiating over 1,000 short sales during the Great Recession, to foreclosure defense marketing today. Author, The Ark Law Group Complete Guide to Short Sales (Auroch Press, 2013). Twice named to Puget Sound Business Journal Fast 50 for Ark Law Group. B.A., University of California, Berkeley, 1992. Founded American Default Research in 2026 to fill a gap in public data that had been empty since 2013.

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Why does Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Filings (YoY % Change) matter?

Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Filings (YoY % Change) is one of 98 live indicators tracked by American Default Research. The methodology page explains sources, update cadence, and how the index uses its published inputs.
View methodology →
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