Consumer Bankruptcy Monitor · District profile
Southern District of California
5,441 consumer bankruptcy filings in the 12 months ended June 30, 2026: 4,700 under Chapter 7, up 5.8%, and 738 under Chapter 13, up 15.9%. Chapter 13 is 13.6% of consumer filings here, against 36.8% nationally.
At a glance
The Southern District of California in the Q2 2026 edition
- Chapter 7 filings, 12 months
- 4,700
- +5.8% on a year earlier (+259)
- United States: +14.6%
- Chapter 13 filings, 12 months
- 738
- +15.9% on a year earlier (+101)
- United States: +7.6%
- Chapter 7 filings, Q2 2026
- 1,286
- +5.1% on the same quarter
- United States: +13.3%
- Chapter 13 filings, Q2 2026
- 187
- +27.2% on the same quarter
- United States: +7.5%
- Chapter 13 share of consumer filings
- 13.6%
- #86 of 93 districts
- United States: 36.8%
- Share of U.S. consumer filings
- 0.9%
- #43 of 93 districts
- Chapter 7: 1.3% · Chapter 13: 0.3%
- Chapter 7 cases closed with a reaffirmation agreement, 2025
- 5.7%
- United States: 18.7%
- Chapter 13 cases closed with a completed plan, 2025
- 47.1%
- United States: 44.7%
Filings
Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 since 2008
Consumer bankruptcy filings by chapter, Southern District of California
Rolling 12 months, each quarter
Table view
| 12 months ended | Chapter 7 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 13 share |
|---|---|---|---|
| December 31, 2008 | 11,322 | 2,113 | 15.7% |
| December 31, 2009 | 16,493 | 3,525 | 17.6% |
| December 31, 2010 | 18,429 | 4,439 | 19.4% |
| December 31, 2011 | 16,585 | 4,218 | 20.2% |
| December 31, 2012 | 13,357 | 3,500 | 20.7% |
| December 31, 2013 | 10,061 | 2,352 | 18.9% |
| December 31, 2014 | 8,090 | 1,930 | 19.2% |
| December 31, 2015 | 6,468 | 1,800 | 21.7% |
| December 31, 2016 | 6,196 | 1,737 | 21.9% |
| December 31, 2017 | 6,229 | 1,587 | 20.3% |
| December 31, 2018 | 6,244 | 1,416 | 18.5% |
| December 31, 2019 | 6,343 | 1,398 | 18.0% |
| December 31, 2020 | 5,483 | 669 | 10.9% |
| December 31, 2021 | 4,346 | 444 | 9.3% |
| December 31, 2022 | 2,813 | 470 | 14.3% |
| December 31, 2023 | 3,458 | 553 | 13.8% |
| December 31, 2024 | 4,158 | 655 | 13.6% |
| December 31, 2025 | 4,625 | 655 | 12.4% |
| June 30, 2026 | 4,700 | 738 | 13.6% |
Notes and sources
Chapter 13 share of consumer filings
The Southern District of California against the United States, rolling 12 months
Table view
| 12 months ended | Southern District of California | United States |
|---|---|---|
| December 31, 2008 | 15.7% | 33.4% |
| December 31, 2009 | 17.6% | 28.5% |
| December 31, 2010 | 19.4% | 28.3% |
| December 31, 2011 | 20.2% | 29.5% |
| December 31, 2012 | 20.7% | 30.8% |
| December 31, 2013 | 18.9% | 31.9% |
| December 31, 2014 | 19.2% | 33.8% |
| December 31, 2015 | 21.7% | 36.5% |
| December 31, 2016 | 21.9% | 38.2% |
| December 31, 2017 | 20.3% | 38.2% |
| December 31, 2018 | 18.5% | 38.4% |
| December 31, 2019 | 18.0% | 37.9% |
| December 31, 2020 | 10.9% | 29.7% |
| December 31, 2021 | 9.3% | 29.8% |
| December 31, 2022 | 14.3% | 41.7% |
| December 31, 2023 | 13.8% | 42.1% |
| December 31, 2024 | 13.6% | 39.6% |
| December 31, 2025 | 12.4% | 37.6% |
| June 30, 2026 | 13.6% | 36.8% |
Notes and sources
Location
Where the district sits
Outlined in blue, among districts shaded by Chapter 13 share of consumer filings. Lighter districts file mostly under Chapter 7.
Chapter 13 share of consumer filings, by district
12 months ended June 30, 2026. Select a district to open its profile.
Chapter 13 share of consumer filings
- Under 20%
- 20–35%
- 35–50%
- 50–65%
- 65% and over
Counties
Where the district’s filings come from
The 2 counties in the district with the most consumer bankruptcy filings, including cases their residents filed in other districts.
| County | Chapter 7 | Change | Chapter 13 | Change | Chapter 13 share | Share of these counties |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego, CA | 4,441 | +5.7% | 718 | +16.9% | 13.9% | 95.6% |
| Imperial, CA | 219 | +3.8% | 20 | +33.3% | 8.4% | 4.4% |
Source: U.S. Courts, Report F-5A, 12 months ended June 30, 2026 and June 30, 2025. Counties are grouped by where the filer lives, so the last column is a share of the 5,401 filings by residents of this district.
The filers
Filers here against the national figures
Cases filed or closed in calendar 2025, the latest year the courts have published.
Chapter 7
| Measure, 2025 | Southern District of California | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Chapter 7 cases filed | 4,539 | 335,981 |
| Median monthly income (Schedule I) | $3,957 | $3,513 |
| Median monthly expenses (Schedule J) | $4,332 | $3,679 |
| Closed cases with a reaffirmation agreement | 5.7% | 18.7% |
| Median days from filing to close | 98 | 109 |
Chapter 13
| Measure, 2025 | Southern District of California | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Chapter 13 cases filed | 641 | 204,165 |
| Average liabilities per case | $1,874,744 | $235,355 |
| Secured share of liabilities | 93.6% | 67.0% |
| Median monthly income (Schedule I) | $7,556 | $4,770 |
| Median monthly expenses (Schedule J) | $6,346 | $3,699 |
| Closed cases with a completed plan | 47.1% | 44.7% |
| Dismissals for failure to make plan payments | 23.2% | 50.5% |
| Median days from filing to close | 1,209 | 1,045 |
| Closed cases with collateral valued below the claim | – | 3.3% |
| Filers with a bankruptcy in the previous eight years | 31.8% | 32.2% |
Source: U.S. Courts, BAPCPA Tables 2A, 3, and 4 (Chapter 7) and 1D, 2D, 3, 5, 6, and 7 (Chapter 13), 2025. Averages use cases with complete schedules. Reaffirmation, completed-plan, and dismissal shares describe cases closed in the year, not a filing cohort. Medians are not published for fewer than ten cases. Chapter 7 liabilities are not shown; see the methodology page.
Over time
| Year | Chapter 7 cases filed | Chapter 7 reaffirmation share | Chapter 13 cases filed | Chapter 13 average liabilities | Chapter 13 completed plans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4,539 | 5.7% | 641 | $1,874,744 | 47.1% |
| 2024 | 4,080 | 5.9% | 641 | $453,556 | 50.3% |
| 2023 | 3,362 | 8.0% | 537 | $447,738 | 50.8% |
| 2022 | 2,734 | 12.7% | 454 | $372,201 | 57.5% |
| 2021 | 4,214 | 11.0% | 421 | $653,598 | 58.2% |
| 2020 | 5,364 | 14.7% | 641 | $334,778 | 49.2% |
| 2019 | 6,164 | 15.6% | 1,345 | $373,726 | 48.0% |
| 2018 | 6,072 | 14.0% | 1,360 | $373,599 | 50.2% |
9th Circuit
Other districts in the circuit
| District | Chapter 7 | Change | Chapter 13 | Change | Chapter 13 share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central District of California | 25,684 | +19.0% | 4,514 | +14.4% | 14.9% |
| District of Arizona | 10,739 | +12.0% | 2,187 | +9.3% | 16.9% |
| Eastern District of California | 10,286 | +12.6% | 2,456 | +12.1% | 19.3% |
| District of Nevada | 7,918 | +12.0% | 1,594 | +17.2% | 16.8% |
| District of Oregon | 6,351 | +14.5% | 1,641 | +4.1% | 20.5% |
| Western District of Washington | 5,724 | +14.1% | 1,701 | +22.8% | 22.9% |
| Northern District of California | 4,339 | +17.7% | 1,887 | −0.6% | 30.1% |
| District of Idaho | 2,282 | +15.1% | 201 | +5.8% | 8.1% |
| Eastern District of Washington | 1,966 | +9.3% | 367 | +4.9% | 15.7% |
| District of Hawaii | 713 | +7.1% | 424 | −7.6% | 37.2% |
| District of Montana | 729 | +18.7% | 150 | +29.3% | 17.0% |
| District of Alaska | 198 | +67.8% | 73 | +46.0% | 26.9% |
| District of Guam | 16 | −20.0% | 2 | −75.0% | 11.1% |
| District of the Northern Mariana Islands | 2 | – | 0 | – | 0.0% |
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