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Personal Bankruptcies Set Another Record
Personal bankruptcy filings in the U.S. continued to grow through the first quarter of 2003. Statistics just released from the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts indicate that more non-business bankruptcies were filed during the 12-month period ending March 31, 2003 (1,573,720 petitions) than during any previous 12-month period. Filings were up 7.4% from the 12-month period ending one year earlier. Chapter 7 bankruptcies (in which individuals are allowed to keep certain exempt property while any remaining assets are sold to creditors) continued to make up about 71% of all filings. The chart below displays the year-over-year rate of change in personal bankruptcy filings, by quarter.
Out of 91 judicial districts in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, all but 8 experienced an increase in filing volume. The table below provides detailed statistics on the number of filings and growth rates by judicial district. Considering both rate and sheer number of filings, the particular hot spots include Georgia, (up 9.1%), Illinois (up 12.1% overall, and 13.1% in the northern district, which includes the greater Chicago area), Michigan (up 20.5% overall, and 22.8% in the eastern district which includes Detroit), Ohio (up 12.0%) and Texas (up 10.8%).
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| Personal Bankruptcies by State and Judicial District for the 12-Month Period Ending March 31, 2003 |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Filings as of 3/31/2003 |
% Change in Total 3/31/2002-3/31/2003 |
% Chapter 7 as of 3/31/2003 | |
| Total | 1,573,720 | 7.4% | 70.8% |
| Alabama | 41,927 | 8.4% | 48.1% |
| Middle | 9,527 | 16.9% | 51.7% |
| North | 24,925 | 4.9% | 48.3% |
| South | 7,475 | 10.4% | 42.6% |
| Alaska | 1,375 | 2.0% | 91.8% |
| Arizona | 29,757 | 16.6% | 80.0% |
| Arkansas | 23,521 | 10.3% | 58.9% |
| East | 15,176 | 10.9% | 53.6% |
| West | 8,345 | 9.2% | 68.6% |
| California | 144,059 | -2.2% | 82.5% |
| Central | 80,450 | -5.4% | 84.2% |
| East | 30,535 | 0.3% | 85.6% |
| North | 20,607 | 10.2% | 71.7% |
| South | 12,467 | -5.0% | 81.9% |
| Colorado | 22,086 | 20.0% | 88.4% |
| Connecticut | 11,781 | 5.0% | 83.0% |
| District Of Columbia | 2,418 | -3.2% | 71.5% |
| Delaware | 3,277 | 16.2% | 61.6% |
| Florida | 91,703 | 6.4% | 72.0% |
| Middle | 53,320 | 9.0% | 72.0% |
| North | 6,679 | 7.8% | 80.4% |
| South | 31,704 | 2.1% | 70.3% |
| Georgia | 76,727 | 9.1% | 43.3% |
| Middle | 18,219 | 7.2% | 44.5% |
| North | 43,030 | 11.0% | 48.4% |
| South | 15,478 | 6.0% | 27.6% |
| Hawaii | 4,151 | -15.4% | 89.3% |
| Idaho | 8,794 | 8.5% | 86.5% |
| Illinois | 83,880 | 12.1% | 74.4% |
| Central | 15,974 | 9.8% | 85.7% |
| North | 58,728 | 13.1% | 71.5% |
| South | 9,178 | 10.4% | 72.8% |
| Indiana | 53,612 | 9.1% | 80.5% |
| North | 21,010 | 10.1% | 83.9% |
| South | 32,602 | 8.5% | 78.3% |
| Iowa | 11,737 | 7.6% | 95.2% |
| North | 4,612 | 11.3% | 96.5% |
| South | 7,125 | 5.4% | 94.3% |
| Kansas | 15,151 | 10.4% | 81.1% |
| Kentucky | 27,218 | 4.9% | 83.1% |
| East | 12,067 | 5.9% | 87.5% |
| West | 15,151 | 4.2% | 79.6% |
| Louisiana | 26,904 | 2.5% | 61.9% |
| East | 9,623 | -2.4% | 67.7% |
| Middle | 3,741 | 9.8% | 72.5% |
| West | 13,540 | 4.2% | 54.9% |
| Maine | 4,357 | -1.7% | 91.6% |
| Maryland | 34,788 | 0.6% | 66.0% |
| Massachusetts | 17,215 | 2.8% | 85.8% |
| Michigan | 57,456 | 20.5% | 70.1% |
| East | 41,484 | 22.8% | 67.6% |
| West | 15,972 | 15.0% | 76.7% |
| Minnesota | 18,554 | 9.6% | 83.6% |
| Mississippi | 22,361 | 2.3% | 66.4% |
| North | 8,081 | 2.9% | 68.3% |
| South | 14,280 | 2.0% | 65.3% |
| Missouri | 35,335 | 15.0% | 73.3% |
| East | 18,750 | 12.3% | 66.8% |
| West | 16,585 | 18.2% | 80.6% |
| Montana | 4,062 | 6.3% | 88.5% |
| Nebraska | 7,970 | 12.5% | 78.0% |
| Nevada | 19,681 | 9.1% | 75.3% |
| New Hampshire | 3,902 | 8.3% | 90.7% |
| New Jersey | 40,730 | 0.3% | 63.3% |
| New Mexico | 8,948 | 11.7% | 90.9% |
| New York | 71,005 | 6.9% | 79.5% |
| East | 25,986 | 5.8% | 77.2% |
| North | 16,172 | 4.3% | 79.9% |
| South | 15,360 | 11.3% | 86.8% |
| West | 13,487 | 7.6% | 75.1% |
| North Carolina | 36,826 | 9.0% | 48.2% |
| East | 15,054 | 7.1% | 50.6% |
| Middle | 11,999 | 10.6% | 42.1% |
| West | 9,773 | 10.0% | 52.2% |
| North Dakota | 2,019 | 0.0% | 96.1% |
| Ohio | 79,695 | 12.0% | 79.3% |
| North | 42,642 | 15.4% | 82.3% |
| South | 37,053 | 8.3% | 76.0% |
| Oklahoma | 24,698 | 10.1% | 89.5% |
| East | 4,847 | 18.2% | 92.6% |
| North | 6,581 | 19.6% | 91.4% |
| West | 13,270 | 3.4% | 87.3% |
| Oregon | 23,461 | 6.7% | 88.2% |
| Pennsylvania | 54,800 | 8.1% | 68.7% |
| East | 24,884 | 4.7% | 54.7% |
| Middle | 12,740 | 12.3% | 76.1% |
| West | 17,176 | 10.4% | 83.3% |
| Rhode Island | 4,789 | 1.0% | 92.3% |
| South Carolina | 15,446 | 5.4% | 43.2% |
| South Dakota | 2,584 | 0.1% | 94.9% |
| Tennessee | 63,432 | 4.9% | 48.3% |
| East | 19,644 | 3.9% | 62.0% |
| Middle | 15,691 | 7.7% | 62.5% |
| West | 28,097 | 4.0% | 30.8% |
| Texas | 81,817 | 10.8% | 52.4% |
| East | 12,344 | 9.8% | 55.6% |
| North | 28,214 | 7.8% | 48.4% |
| South | 22,512 | 18.5% | 52.8% |
| West | 18,747 | 7.8% | 55.8% |
| Utah | 21,902 | 11.6% | 67.2% |
| Vermont | 1,767 | 7.2% | 89.2% |
| Virginia | 42,641 | 4.8% | 73.9% |
| East | 30,453 | 6.0% | 69.7% |
| West | 12,188 | 1.9% | 84.6% |
| Washington | 39,326 | 7.0% | 80.0% |
| East | 10,135 | 4.2% | 76.1% |
| West | 29,191 | 8.1% | 81.3% |
| West Virginia | 10,277 | 4.4% | 95.0% |
| North | 4,314 | 6.3% | 94.2% |
| South | 5,963 | 3.1% | 95.6% |
| Wisconsin | 25,616 | 17.1% | 83.5% |
| East | 17,514 | 19.5% | 81.2% |
| West | 8,102 | 12.1% | 88.4% |
| Wyoming | 2,340 | -0.8% | 93.5% |
| Guam | 340 | 11.5% | 88.8% |
| NMI | 20 | 0.0% | 80.0% |
| Puerto Rico | 13,429 | -0.8% | 28.9% |
| Virgin Islands | 53 | 15.2% | 64.2% |
| Circuit | |||
| 1st | 43,692 | 1.4% | 70.0% |
| 2nd | 84,553 | 6.7% | 80.2% |
| 3rd | 98,860 | 5.0% | 66.2% |
| 4th | 139,978 | 4.8% | 63.4% |
| 5th | 131,082 | 7.5% | 56.7% |
| 6th | 227,801 | 11.0% | 68.8% |
| 7th | 163,108 | 11.9% | 77.8% |
| 8th | 101,720 | 11.1% | 75.7% |
| 9th | 275,026 | 2.6% | 82.2% |
| 10th | 95,125 | 12.5% | 83.0% |
| 11th | 210,357 | 7.8% | 56.8% |
| States and territories in each circuit: | |||
| 1st: ME, MA, NH, RI, PR | |||
| 2nd: CT, NY, VT | |||
| 3rd: DE, NJ, PA, VI | |||
| 4th: MD, NC, SC, VA, WV | |||
| 5th: LA, MS, TX | |||
| 6th: KY, MI, OH, TN | |||
| 7th: IL, IN, WI | |||
| 8th: AR, IA, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD | |||
| 9th: AK, AZ, CA, HI, ID, MT, NV, OR, WA, GUAM, NMI | |||
| 10th: CO, KS, NM, OK, UT, WY | |||
| 11th: AL, FL, GA | |||
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