Market data
Bankruptcy in District of Columbia: market data
What public records say about the market for bankruptcy in District of Columbia: how much demand the courts and agencies count, how many law offices serve it, how many people need help in Spanish, and the ad rules that apply. Every number links to the record it comes from.
Demand: what courts and agencies count
Counts of filings, crashes, complaints and enforcement in the records each agency keeps. A count shows where problems were recorded, not how many people will hire a lawyer.
| Measure | Value | Period | Place | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business bankruptcy cases | 84 cases, 12 months | 12 months ending 2026-09-30 | District of Columbia state | bankruptcy v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23739952 record bankruptcy-11 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Chapter 13 bankruptcy cases | 128 cases, 12 months | 12 months ending 2026-09-30 | District of Columbia state | bankruptcy v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23739952 record bankruptcy-11 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Chapter 7 bankruptcy cases | 460 cases, 12 months | 12 months ending 2026-09-30 | District of Columbia state | bankruptcy v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23739952 record bankruptcy-11 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Bankruptcy cases filed | 646 cases, 12 months | 12 months ending 2026-09-30 | District of Columbia state | bankruptcy v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23739952 record bankruptcy-11 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| CFPB debt or credit management complaints | 7 complaints, 12 months | 12 months from 2025-10-01 | District of Columbia state | consumer-complaints v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23733731 record cfpb-dc-debt-management · status P · checked 2026-10-27 |
| Business bankruptcy cases | 104 cases, 12 months | 12 months ending 2026-09-30 | District of Columbia federal district | bankruptcy v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23739952 record bankruptcy-dc · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Chapter 13 bankruptcy cases | 131 cases, 12 months | 12 months ending 2026-09-30 | District of Columbia federal district | bankruptcy v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23739952 record bankruptcy-dc · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Chapter 7 bankruptcy cases | 483 cases, 12 months | 12 months ending 2026-09-30 | District of Columbia federal district | bankruptcy v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23739952 record bankruptcy-dc · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Bankruptcy cases filed | 685 cases, 12 months | 12 months ending 2026-09-30 | District of Columbia federal district | bankruptcy v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23739952 record bankruptcy-dc · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
Rising or falling
The change between the last two periods each source publishes. No threshold and no smoothing.
| Measure | Before | Latest | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business bankruptcy cases District of Columbia · record bankruptcy-11 | 81 2026-06-30 | 84 2026-09-30 | rising (+3.7%) |
| Chapter 13 bankruptcy cases District of Columbia · record bankruptcy-11 | 133 2026-06-30 | 128 2026-09-30 | falling (-3.8%) |
| Chapter 7 bankruptcy cases District of Columbia · record bankruptcy-11 | 441 2026-06-30 | 460 2026-09-30 | rising (+4.3%) |
| Bankruptcy cases filed District of Columbia · record bankruptcy-11 | 623 2026-06-30 | 646 2026-09-30 | rising (+3.7%) |
| CFPB debt or credit management complaints District of Columbia · record cfpb-dc-debt-management | 11 prior 12 months | 7 12 months from 2025-10-01 | falling (-36.4%) |
Lawyer supply
How many law offices and lawyers the federal statistics count here.
| Measure | Value | Period | Place | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New lawyers admitted | 3,421 lawyers a year | 2025 | District of Columbia state | bar-pipeline v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721443 record dc-bar-pipeline · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Counties under 1 law office per 10,000 residents | 0 counties | 2026-Q1 | District of Columbia state | deserts v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721430 record deserts-11 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Counties with no law office | 0 counties | 2026-Q1 | District of Columbia state | deserts v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721430 record deserts-11 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Residents living in those low-office counties | 0 percent of residents | 2026-Q1 | District of Columbia state | deserts v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721430 record deserts-11 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Employer law firms | 1,197 firms | 2022 | District of Columbia state | law-firm-economy v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23739997 record lfe-dc-all · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Receipts of employer law firms | 21,405,348,000 US dollars | 2022 | District of Columbia state | law-firm-economy v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23739997 record lfe-dc-all · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Law offices per 10,000 residents | 22.04 per 10,000 residents | 2026-Q1 | District of Columbia state | law-offices v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721415 record law-offices-11 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Self-employed lawyers (nonemployer firms) | 1,495 firms | latest Nonemployer Statistics year | District of Columbia state | law-offices v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721415 record law-offices-11 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Private law offices | 1,529 establishments | 2026-Q1 | District of Columbia state | law-offices v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721415 record law-offices-11 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Lawyers employed (wage-earning, BLS OEWS) | 33,070 jobs | May 2025 | District of Columbia state | lawyer-wages v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23734840 record lawyer-wages:DC:231011:2025 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Median annual wage of employed lawyers | 195,190 US dollars a year | May 2025 | District of Columbia state | lawyer-wages v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23734840 record lawyer-wages:DC:231011:2025 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
Counties with the most demand per law office
Of the 25 counties in District of Columbia with the most bankruptcy cases filed, the ten with the most per private law office. Both counts are shown with their records.
| County | Demand | Law offices | Per office |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia, DC | 646 record bankruptcy-11001 | 1,529 record law-offices-11001 | 0.42 |
Bankruptcy cases filed (bankruptcy v1.0.0, 12 months ending 2026-09-30) ÷ Private law offices (law-offices v1.0.0, 2026-Q1). ratio = bankruptcy.filings / law-offices.qcew_estabs, rounded to 2 decimals; ranked highest first, among the 25 units with the most demand. Units with zero supply are listed apart (ratio undefined); units without a published value are listed as missing.
Spanish-language demand
People who speak Spanish and speak English less than very well, and the lawyers who speak Spanish, from the Census Bureau survey (with margins of error).
| Measure | Value | Period | Place | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lawyers who speak Spanish at home (ACS) | 1,340 ±373 lawyers | 2020-2024 | District of Columbia state | language v1.1.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23656758 record language:state:DC:lawyers-spanish · status P · checked 2026-10-25 |
| Spanish speakers with limited English per Spanish-speaking lawyer | 16.1 ±4.6 people per lawyer | 2020-2024 | District of Columbia state | language v1.1.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23656758 record language:state:DC:lep-per-spanish-lawyer · status P · checked 2026-10-25 |
| Spanish speakers with limited English (ACS) | 21,522 ±1,363 people age 5+ | 2020-2024 | District of Columbia state | language v1.1.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23656758 record language:state:DC:spanish-lep · status P · checked 2026-10-25 |
| Spanish speakers with limited English | 21,522 ±1,355 people age 5+ | 2020-2024 | District of Columbia state | legal-need v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23741886 record legal-need-dc · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
Ad rules that apply
The rules a law firm's ads in District of Columbia have to meet, summarized from the official texts. The full rules, with quotes, are on the state page.
| Topic | Status | What it says |
|---|---|---|
| Ad filing or review | P primary source | The rules do not require ads to be filed or reviewed. Rule 7.1 limits ads only by the ban on false or misleading statements. official source · rules v1.4.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23750572 · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Required content | P primary source | The rules have no clause requiring a name, address or disclaimer in every ad. The ban on false or misleading communication (7.1(a)) applies to every ad. official source · rules v1.4.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23750572 · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Waiting periods for contact | P primary source | The rules set no waiting period. Rule 7.1(b) bars in-person contact (which includes phone calls but not email) with a person who is not able to exercise reasonable judgment about choosing a lawyer. official source · rules v1.4.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23750572 · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Claims and results | P primary source | A communication is false or misleading if it has a material misrepresentation or an assertion about the lawyer or services that cannot be substantiated (7.1(a)). official source · rules v1.4.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23750572 · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Paying for referrals | P primary source | A lawyer may not pay money or anything of material value for a recommendation, except for ad costs, the usual and reasonable fees of a legal service plan or lawyer referral service, a practice sale, and non-exclusive reciprocal referrals with client notice… official source · rules v1.4.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23750572 · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Call recording | P primary source | The District allows a person who is a party to a call, or who has one party's prior consent, to intercept it, unless the purpose is a criminal or tortious act. official source · rules v1.4.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23750572 · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Texting | P primary source | The District's telephone fraud subchapter bars calls to a consumer who said not to call and calls outside set hours (§ 22-3226.08); an injured consumer may sue for actual and punitive damages, an injunction and attorney's fees (§ 22-3226.11). official source · rules v1.4.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23750572 · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Ad filing or review | P primary source | District of Columbia: no filing or review of lawyer ads is required. official source · filing v1.2.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721409 · checked 2026-10-25 |
| Paying for referrals | P primary source | Lawyers in different firms may split a fee in proportion to the work each does, or if each takes joint responsibility for the representation. official source · referral v1.1.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23747113 · checked 2026-10-27 |
Prices and pay (national)
| Measure | Value | Period | Place | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jobs in legal services (seasonally adjusted) | 1,249 thousand jobs | 2026-09 | United States United States | legal-prices v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23734854 record legal-prices:CES6054110001:2026-09 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| CPI-U: legal services | 230 index | 2026-09 | United States United States | legal-prices v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23734854 record legal-prices:CUUR0000SEGC01:2026-09 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| PPI: offices of lawyers | 338 index | 2026-09 | United States United States | legal-prices v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23734854 record legal-prices:PCU541110541110:2026-09 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
Download and cite
The rows behind this page, with every dataset, version, DOI, record id and check date.
Cite as: Probative Growth, Bankruptcy filings by chapter, court district, state and county, quarterly (U.S. Courts) v1.0.0 (doi:10.5281/zenodo.23739952); The new-lawyer pipeline by jurisdiction: bar exam pass rates and new admissions, 2025 v1.0.0 (doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721443); CFPB complaints about debt collection, credit reporting and debt management, by state and month v1.0.0 (doi:10.5281/zenodo.23733731); Legal deserts: law offices and lawyers per resident in every U.S. county v1.0.0 (doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721430); Spanish-speaking demand vs Spanish-speaking lawyer supply, by state and metro v1.1.0 (doi:10.5281/zenodo.23656758); Law firm size, solos and receipts, by state: Census SUSB 2022, Nonemployer Statistics 2024 and Economic Census 2022 v1.0.0 (doi:10.5281/zenodo.23739997); Law offices, jobs and pay by county, with solo-practice counts: BLS QCEW, Census CBP and Nonemployer Statistics v1.0.0 (doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721415); Lawyer, paralegal and legal-staff pay by state and metro (BLS OEWS) v1.0.0 (doi:10.5281/zenodo.23734840); Legal need by county: who may need a lawyer, from the American Community Survey v1.0.0 (doi:10.5281/zenodo.23741886); Legal-services prices and jobs, monthly (BLS CPI, PPI and CES) v1.0.0 (doi:10.5281/zenodo.23734854); CC BY 4.0. https://probativegrowth.com/markets/district-of-columbia/bankruptcy/
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How this page is built
Each figure is copied from one record of the dataset named with it, joined to this state and practice through the open practice and place crosswalk. Nothing is estimated. Methods, inputs and limits.