KANSAS CITY — The number of Missourians filing for personal or business bankruptcy surged 23 percent from the previous federal fiscal year in a reflection of the struggling economy.
Federal court officials on Wednesday released bankruptcy statistics for the 12 months ending Sept. 30.
Missouri's two federal court districts reported a combined 30,025 bankruptcy filings during the year, compared with 24,216 in fiscal year 2008.
Nationally, bankruptcy filings rose 34.5 percent over the previous year to 1.4 million.
On a per capita basis, a little more than five out of every 1,000 Missourians filed for bankruptcy during the fiscal year, ranking the state 14th in the nation.
Nevada led the nation on per capita filings with 10.5 out of every 1,000 residents filing.