Amid massive changes in economic and immigration policy nationwide, Docket Alarm data reveals that bankruptcy filings have grown steadily nationwide in the first half of 2025, compared to the first half of the prior year.
251,789 cases were filed in bankruptcy courts nationwide in the first six months of 2024, whereas 275,444 such cases were filed in the first half of 2025. This is an increase of 9.3% nationwide. The analysis counts all new cases in bankruptcy courts nationwide, regardless of bankruptcy chapter.
Analyzing geographically, and per capita, the eastern half of the country saw mixed results. Some districts, especially the Western District of Michigan, saw decreases in filings, but places like Florida, Pennsylvania, and much of the Midwest saw modest increases in fillings.
The western half of the United States saw much greater increases in bankruptcy filings. The heavily agricultural Eastern District of California saw 25% more bankruptcy filings in the first half of 2025. Oregon saw a 22% increase.
The impacts of tariffs, immigration crackdowns, mass firings of federal employees, and stock market volatility seen so far in 2025 were not fully felt by the end of June 2025; these changes could have further impacts on bankruptcy filings for the rest of the year.
