Market data
Bankruptcy in Kentucky: market data
What public records say about the market for bankruptcy in Kentucky: 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 | 166 cases, 12 months | 12 months ending 2026-09-30 | Kentucky state | bankruptcy v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23739952 record bankruptcy-21 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Chapter 13 bankruptcy cases | 5,769 cases, 12 months | 12 months ending 2026-09-30 | Kentucky state | bankruptcy v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23739952 record bankruptcy-21 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Chapter 7 bankruptcy cases | 7,299 cases, 12 months | 12 months ending 2026-09-30 | Kentucky state | bankruptcy v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23739952 record bankruptcy-21 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Bankruptcy cases filed | 13,106 cases, 12 months | 12 months ending 2026-09-30 | Kentucky state | bankruptcy v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23739952 record bankruptcy-21 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| CFPB debt or credit management complaints | 27 complaints, 12 months | 12 months from 2025-10-01 | Kentucky state | consumer-complaints v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23733731 record cfpb-ky-debt-management · status P · checked 2026-10-27 |
| Business bankruptcy cases | 73 cases, 12 months | 12 months ending 2026-09-30 | Eastern District of Kentucky federal district | bankruptcy v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23739952 record bankruptcy-ky-e · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Chapter 13 bankruptcy cases | 2,344 cases, 12 months | 12 months ending 2026-09-30 | Eastern District of Kentucky federal district | bankruptcy v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23739952 record bankruptcy-ky-e · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Chapter 7 bankruptcy cases | 4,354 cases, 12 months | 12 months ending 2026-09-30 | Eastern District of Kentucky federal district | bankruptcy v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23739952 record bankruptcy-ky-e · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Bankruptcy cases filed | 6,710 cases, 12 months | 12 months ending 2026-09-30 | Eastern District of Kentucky federal district | bankruptcy v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23739952 record bankruptcy-ky-e · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Business bankruptcy cases | 90 cases, 12 months | 12 months ending 2026-09-30 | Western District of Kentucky federal district | bankruptcy v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23739952 record bankruptcy-ky-w · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Chapter 13 bankruptcy cases | 3,421 cases, 12 months | 12 months ending 2026-09-30 | Western District of Kentucky federal district | bankruptcy v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23739952 record bankruptcy-ky-w · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Chapter 7 bankruptcy cases | 2,897 cases, 12 months | 12 months ending 2026-09-30 | Western District of Kentucky federal district | bankruptcy v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23739952 record bankruptcy-ky-w · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Bankruptcy cases filed | 6,341 cases, 12 months | 12 months ending 2026-09-30 | Western District of Kentucky federal district | bankruptcy v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23739952 record bankruptcy-ky-w · 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 Kentucky · record bankruptcy-21 | 169 2026-06-30 | 166 2026-09-30 | falling (-1.8%) |
| Chapter 13 bankruptcy cases Kentucky · record bankruptcy-21 | 5,653 2026-06-30 | 5,769 2026-09-30 | rising (+2.1%) |
| Chapter 7 bankruptcy cases Kentucky · record bankruptcy-21 | 7,038 2026-06-30 | 7,299 2026-09-30 | rising (+3.7%) |
| Bankruptcy cases filed Kentucky · record bankruptcy-21 | 12,741 2026-06-30 | 13,106 2026-09-30 | rising (+2.9%) |
| CFPB debt or credit management complaints Kentucky · record cfpb-ky-debt-management | 40 prior 12 months | 27 12 months from 2025-10-01 | falling (-32.5%) |
Lawyer supply
How many law offices and lawyers the federal statistics count here.
| Measure | Value | Period | Place | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New lawyers admitted | 587 lawyers a year | 2025 | Kentucky state | bar-pipeline v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721443 record ky-bar-pipeline · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Counties under 1 law office per 10,000 residents | 5 counties | 2026-Q1 | Kentucky state | deserts v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721430 record deserts-21 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Counties with no law office | 2 counties | 2026-Q1 | Kentucky state | deserts v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721430 record deserts-21 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Residents living in those low-office counties | 1.2 percent of residents | 2026-Q1 | Kentucky state | deserts v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721430 record deserts-21 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Employer law firms | 1,794 firms | 2022 | Kentucky state | law-firm-economy v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23739997 record lfe-ky-all · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Receipts of employer law firms | 1,922,001,000 US dollars | 2022 | Kentucky state | law-firm-economy v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23739997 record lfe-ky-all · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Law offices per 10,000 residents | 5.23 per 10,000 residents | 2026-Q1 | Kentucky state | law-offices v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721415 record law-offices-21 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Self-employed lawyers (nonemployer firms) | 2,688 firms | latest Nonemployer Statistics year | Kentucky state | law-offices v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721415 record law-offices-21 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Private law offices | 2,409 establishments | 2026-Q1 | Kentucky state | law-offices v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721415 record law-offices-21 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Lawyers employed (wage-earning, BLS OEWS) | 5,770 jobs | May 2025 | Kentucky state | lawyer-wages v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23734840 record lawyer-wages:KY:231011:2025 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Median annual wage of employed lawyers | 101,550 US dollars a year | May 2025 | Kentucky state | lawyer-wages v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23734840 record lawyer-wages:KY:231011:2025 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
Counties with the most demand per law office
Of the 25 counties in Kentucky 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clark County, KY | 136 record bankruptcy-21049 | 10 record law-offices-21049 | 13.6 |
| Hopkins County, KY | 224 record bankruptcy-21107 | 17 record law-offices-21107 | 13.18 |
| Bullitt County, KY | 215 record bankruptcy-21029 | 20 record law-offices-21029 | 10.75 |
| Laurel County, KY | 297 record bankruptcy-21125 | 29 record law-offices-21125 | 10.24 |
| Perry County, KY | 169 record bankruptcy-21193 | 17 record law-offices-21193 | 9.94 |
| Scott County, KY | 169 record bankruptcy-21209 | 17 record law-offices-21209 | 9.94 |
| Hardin County, KY | 419 record bankruptcy-21093 | 48 record law-offices-21093 | 8.73 |
| Floyd County, KY | 139 record bankruptcy-21071 | 16 record law-offices-21071 | 8.69 |
| Christian County, KY | 193 record bankruptcy-21047 | 23 record law-offices-21047 | 8.39 |
| Pike County, KY | 214 record bankruptcy-21195 | 26 record law-offices-21195 | 8.23 |
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) | not published lawyers | 2020-2024 | Kentucky state | language v1.1.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23656758 record language:state:KY:lawyers-spanish · status U · checked 2026-10-25 |
| Spanish speakers with limited English per Spanish-speaking lawyer | not published people per lawyer | 2020-2024 | Kentucky state | language v1.1.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23656758 record language:state:KY:lep-per-spanish-lawyer · status U · checked 2026-10-25 |
| Spanish speakers with limited English (ACS) | 68,047 ±2,545 people age 5+ | 2020-2024 | Kentucky state | language v1.1.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23656758 record language:state:KY:spanish-lep · status P · checked 2026-10-25 |
| Spanish speakers with limited English | 68,047 ±2,509 people age 5+ | 2020-2024 | Kentucky state | legal-need v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23741886 record legal-need-ky · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
Ad rules that apply
The rules a law firm's ads in Kentucky 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 | Ads are not filed or pre-approved. A lawyer may ask the Attorneys' Advertising Commission for an advisory opinion: $75 fee (plus $100 for ads over 100 pages or 10 minutes), with an opinion within 30 days (7.03). official source · rules v1.4.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23750572 · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Required content | P primary source | Every ad includes the name and office address of at least one lawyer, or the name of a law firm; the Kentucky lawyer or lawyers are responsible for the content (7.20(3)). official source · rules v1.4.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23750572 · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Waiting periods for contact | P primary source | 30 days after a disaster: no communication may be sent to people involved in a disaster, or related targets of solicitation, until 30 days have passed since it happened (4.5(4)). official source · rules v1.4.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23750572 · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Claims and results | P primary source | A communication may not be false, deceptive or misleading (7.10). AAC Regulation 1 says ads may be misleading if they create an unjustified expectation, compare lawyers without factual proof, or show an actor posing as an actual client. 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 give anything of value to a non-lawyer for recommending the lawyer's services, except to pay ad costs, the usual charges of a legal service plan or a not-for-profit lawyer referral service, the price of a practice sale, and non-exclusive… official source · rules v1.4.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23750572 · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Call recording | P primary source | Eavesdropping means recording a wire or oral communication of others without the consent of at least one party to it (KRS 526.010), so one party's consent is enough. official source · rules v1.4.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23750572 · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Texting | P primary source | A prerecorded or artificial-voice telephone solicitation to a residential line is prohibited unless the called party gave prior express consent. official source · rules v1.4.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23750572 · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Ad filing or review | P primary source | Kentucky: no filing is required; the bar offers a voluntary review. 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 case, and the total fee is reasonable. 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 |
What is missing
Datasets linked to this practice that have no figure here, and values the source withholds. We never fill these in.
- federal-filings-county (demand): no record for Kentucky at this geography; the state or another geography may have one
- findings (demand): the dataset has no records for Kentucky (it covers other places)
- firm-web-census (supply): the dataset has no records for Kentucky (it covers other places)
- language (spanish): Lawyers who speak Spanish at home (ACS) (Kentucky): value withheld by the source (status U)
- language (spanish): Spanish speakers with limited English per Spanish-speaking lawyer (Kentucky): value withheld by the source (status U)
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/kentucky/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.