Bankruptcy in the Middle District of Pennsylvania
Quick answer. Between 1976 and 2026, the searchable federal record shows 67,631 bankruptcy cases filed in the Middle District of Pennsylvania (the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania). Where the filing chapter is recorded, the most common is Chapter AP. This page summarizes what the public data shows about filing here - the court, the filings, and how the district compares to national outcomes. The searchable record is a partial index of historical filings -- coverage is much deeper for recent decades than early ones -- so the count above reflects what is indexed, not the court's lifetime filing volume.
The court
The middle district of pennsylvania is served by the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, part of the federal judiciary. Bankruptcy cases under Chapters 7, 11, 12, and 13 are filed and administered there.
Filings by year
The table below counts every case in the searchable record for this district by filing year (earlier decades aggregated). Filing dates are recorded on nearly all indexed cases, so this is the page's primary volume picture.
| Year | Filings in the searchable record |
|---|---|
| 1976 | 1 |
| 1980-1989 | 1,025 |
| 1990-1999 | 25,915 |
| 2000-2009 | 27,098 |
| 2010 | 713 |
| 2011 | 135 |
| 2012 | 119 |
| 2013 | 291 |
| 2014 | 484 |
| 2015 | 421 |
| 2016 | 598 |
| 2017 | 923 |
| 2018 | 3,063 |
| 2019 | 2,477 |
| 2020 | 1,739 |
| 2021 | 267 |
| 2022 | 485 |
| 2023 | 628 |
| 2024 | 278 |
| 2025 | 920 |
| 2026 | 51 |
| All years | 67,631 |
Judges
Data pending. Judge-level enrichment has not yet reached this district (0 enriched rows as of 2026-07-04); a judge roster with recorded case counts will be added when coverage lands.
How to read these counts. Names are matched as they appear in court records. Surname collisions (two judges sharing a surname) and punctuation or middle-initial variants ("Jane A. Doe" vs "Jane A Doe") can split or merge a single person's cases. Counts cover only cases with a recorded judge. Treat them as indicative, not a docket census.
Chapter 11 outcomes
Of the 0 Chapter 11 cases identified with a recorded chapter in the searchable index for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, judge- and status-level enrichment is data pending, so open and terminated counts are not yet available.
Chapter 13 outcomes (FJC 2008-2024)
Chapter 13 outcome data for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, from the FJC Integrated Database (FY 2008-2024; denominator = the 34,953 Chapter 13 cases filed in this district in that window):
| 34,953 | 49.4% | 50.6% | 14,367 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ch. 13 cases filed | Dismissal rate | Discharge rate | Discharges granted |
Of 34,953 Chapter 13 cases filed here between 2008 and 2024, 14,367 ended in a discharge. That dismissal rate is below the national average. Section 1328(f) bars a Chapter 13 discharge for debtors who received a prior discharge within specified look-back periods; a prior case that was dismissed rather than discharged does not trigger the 1328(f) bar, though other limits (like Section 109(g)) can apply. Check a specific case with the eligibility checker, or read the plain-language 1328(f) explainer.
How this district compares
Nationally, the FJC Integrated Database of about 8 million bankruptcy terminations analyzed for 2008-2024 shows an overall discharge rate of 58.3% and a dismissal rate of 41.7% (of the 8M analyzed terminations). Outcomes vary sharply by representation: pro-se Chapter 13 debtors reach discharge about 2.9% of the time versus roughly 47% for represented Chapter 13 debtors (FJC 2008-2024).
Frequently asked questions
Which court handles bankruptcy in the Middle District of Pennsylvania?
The United States Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania handles federal bankruptcy filings for the district.
What do these numbers cover?
Counts on this page come from a public searchable index of federal bankruptcy filings (about 9.8 million cases nationally) plus the FJC Integrated Database for national outcome rates. The index is partial - recent decades are covered far more deeply than early ones - and every percentage on this page states its own denominator.
Where can I check discharge eligibility?
If a prior case ended in discharge, Section 1328(f) look-back periods may bar a new Chapter 13 discharge. The eligibility checker walks through it.
Federal Rules Committee
This research supports two suggestions now before the Advisory Committee on Bankruptcy Rules: Suggestion 26-BK-3 and Suggestion 26-BK-5
Proposing automated Section 1328(f) discharge bar screening and Rule 9037 SSN redaction in federal bankruptcy courts