Market data
Bankruptcy in Washington: market data
What public records say about the market for bankruptcy in Washington: 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 | 484 cases, 12 months | 12 months ending 2026-09-30 | Washington state | bankruptcy v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23739952 record bankruptcy-53 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Chapter 13 bankruptcy cases | 2,176 cases, 12 months | 12 months ending 2026-09-30 | Washington state | bankruptcy v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23739952 record bankruptcy-53 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Chapter 7 bankruptcy cases | 8,053 cases, 12 months | 12 months ending 2026-09-30 | Washington state | bankruptcy v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23739952 record bankruptcy-53 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Bankruptcy cases filed | 10,414 cases, 12 months | 12 months ending 2026-09-30 | Washington state | bankruptcy v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23739952 record bankruptcy-53 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| CFPB debt or credit management complaints | 53 complaints, 12 months | 12 months from 2025-10-01 | Washington state | consumer-complaints v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23733731 record cfpb-wa-debt-management · status P · checked 2026-10-27 |
| Business bankruptcy cases | 132 cases, 12 months | 12 months ending 2026-09-30 | Eastern District of Washington federal district | bankruptcy v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23739952 record bankruptcy-wa-e · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Chapter 13 bankruptcy cases | 385 cases, 12 months | 12 months ending 2026-09-30 | Eastern District of Washington federal district | bankruptcy v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23739952 record bankruptcy-wa-e · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Chapter 7 bankruptcy cases | 2,083 cases, 12 months | 12 months ending 2026-09-30 | Eastern District of Washington federal district | bankruptcy v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23739952 record bankruptcy-wa-e · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Bankruptcy cases filed | 2,526 cases, 12 months | 12 months ending 2026-09-30 | Eastern District of Washington federal district | bankruptcy v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23739952 record bankruptcy-wa-e · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Business bankruptcy cases | 344 cases, 12 months | 12 months ending 2026-09-30 | Western District of Washington federal district | bankruptcy v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23739952 record bankruptcy-wa-w · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Chapter 13 bankruptcy cases | 1,790 cases, 12 months | 12 months ending 2026-09-30 | Western District of Washington federal district | bankruptcy v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23739952 record bankruptcy-wa-w · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Chapter 7 bankruptcy cases | 6,005 cases, 12 months | 12 months ending 2026-09-30 | Western District of Washington federal district | bankruptcy v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23739952 record bankruptcy-wa-w · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Bankruptcy cases filed | 7,915 cases, 12 months | 12 months ending 2026-09-30 | Western District of Washington federal district | bankruptcy v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23739952 record bankruptcy-wa-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 Washington · record bankruptcy-53 | 510 2026-06-30 | 484 2026-09-30 | falling (-5.1%) |
| Chapter 13 bankruptcy cases Washington · record bankruptcy-53 | 2,089 2026-06-30 | 2,176 2026-09-30 | rising (+4.2%) |
| Chapter 7 bankruptcy cases Washington · record bankruptcy-53 | 7,930 2026-06-30 | 8,053 2026-09-30 | rising (+1.6%) |
| Bankruptcy cases filed Washington · record bankruptcy-53 | 10,246 2026-06-30 | 10,414 2026-09-30 | rising (+1.6%) |
| CFPB debt or credit management complaints Washington · record cfpb-wa-debt-management | 51 prior 12 months | 53 12 months from 2025-10-01 | rising (+3.9%) |
Lawyer supply
How many law offices and lawyers the federal statistics count here.
| Measure | Value | Period | Place | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New lawyers admitted | 1,466 lawyers a year | 2025 | Washington state | bar-pipeline v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721443 record wa-bar-pipeline · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Counties under 1 law office per 10,000 residents | 4 counties | 2026-Q1 | Washington state | deserts v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721430 record deserts-53 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Counties with no law office | 1 counties | 2026-Q1 | Washington state | deserts v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721430 record deserts-53 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Residents living in those low-office counties | 2.2 percent of residents | 2026-Q1 | Washington state | deserts v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721430 record deserts-53 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Employer law firms | 3,439 firms | 2022 | Washington state | law-firm-economy v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23739997 record lfe-wa-all · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Receipts of employer law firms | 6,198,628,000 US dollars | 2022 | Washington state | law-firm-economy v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23739997 record lfe-wa-all · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Law offices per 10,000 residents | 4.27 per 10,000 residents | 2026-Q1 | Washington state | law-offices v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721415 record law-offices-53 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Self-employed lawyers (nonemployer firms) | 5,349 firms | latest Nonemployer Statistics year | Washington state | law-offices v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721415 record law-offices-53 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Private law offices | 3,417 establishments | 2026-Q1 | Washington state | law-offices v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721415 record law-offices-53 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Lawyers employed (wage-earning, BLS OEWS) | 12,770 jobs | May 2025 | Washington state | lawyer-wages v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23734840 record lawyer-wages:WA:231011:2025 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Median annual wage of employed lawyers | 154,130 US dollars a year | May 2025 | Washington state | lawyer-wages v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23734840 record lawyer-wages:WA:231011:2025 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
Counties with the most demand per law office
Of the 25 counties in Washington 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin County, WA | 177 record bankruptcy-53021 | 7 record law-offices-53021 | 25.29 |
| Douglas County, WA | 47 record bankruptcy-53017 | 3 record law-offices-53017 | 15.67 |
| Lewis County, WA | 165 record bankruptcy-53041 | 12 record law-offices-53041 | 13.75 |
| Mason County, WA | 110 record bankruptcy-53045 | 14 record law-offices-53045 | 7.86 |
| Yakima County, WA | 569 record bankruptcy-53077 | 75 record law-offices-53077 | 7.59 |
| Grays Harbor County, WA | 132 record bankruptcy-53027 | 18 record law-offices-53027 | 7.33 |
| Island County, WA | 112 record bankruptcy-53029 | 16 record law-offices-53029 | 7 |
| Stevens County, WA | 53 record bankruptcy-53065 | 8 record law-offices-53065 | 6.63 |
| Grant County, WA | 144 record bankruptcy-53025 | 23 record law-offices-53025 | 6.26 |
| Cowlitz County, WA | 196 record bankruptcy-53015 | 32 record law-offices-53015 | 6.13 |
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) | 490 ±193 lawyers | 2020-2024 | Washington state | language v1.1.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23656758 record language:state:WA:lawyers-spanish · status P · checked 2026-10-25 |
| Spanish speakers with limited English per Spanish-speaking lawyer | 526 ±208 people per lawyer | 2020-2024 | Washington state | language v1.1.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23656758 record language:state:WA:lep-per-spanish-lawyer · status P · checked 2026-10-25 |
| Spanish speakers with limited English (ACS) | 257,922 ±5,113 people age 5+ | 2020-2024 | Washington state | language v1.1.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23656758 record language:state:WA:spanish-lep · status P · checked 2026-10-25 |
| Spanish speakers with limited English | 257,922 ±5,361 people age 5+ | 2020-2024 | Washington state | legal-need v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23741886 record legal-need-wa · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
Ad rules that apply
The rules a law firm's ads in Washington 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 | No filing or advance review is required for ads or solicitations. RPC 7.1 and 7.3 have no filing or copy-keeping clause; RPC 7.2, 7.4 and 7.5 are reserved. 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, disclaimer or label in an ad or solicitation. RPC 7.1 (false or misleading communications) governs, and RPC 7.2 and 7.5 are reserved. 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 fixed waiting period. A solicitation is barred if the lawyer knows or should know the person's physical, emotional or mental state is such that they could not exercise reasonable judgment in hiring a lawyer, if the person said no, or if it… 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 or misleading (7.1). Comment [3] says reporting a lawyer's achievements may mislead if it suggests the same results for other clients, and unsubstantiated comparisons may mislead. 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 compensate, give or promise anything of value to a non-firm person for recommending or securing the lawyer's services, except: reasonable ad costs (including online group advertising), the usual charges of a legal service plan or… official source · rules v1.4.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23750572 · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Call recording | P primary source | Recording a private telephone communication or conversation requires the consent of all participants; consent is treated as given when one party announces the recording to the others in a reasonably effective way. official source · rules v1.4.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23750572 · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Texting | P primary source | A person aggrieved by repeated violations of the telephone solicitation statute may sue for damages of at least $1,000 per violation, with attorney's fees to a prevailing plaintiff. official source · rules v1.4.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23750572 · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Ad filing or review | P primary source | Washington: 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 if the split matches the services each provides, or if each lawyer 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 Washington at this geography; the state or another geography may have one
- findings (demand): the dataset has no records for Washington (it covers other places)
- firm-web-census (supply): the dataset has no records for Washington (it covers other places)
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/washington/bankruptcy/
Use it in your AI tool
The same answers come from our free MCP server for AI assistants (no account): https://probativegrowth.com/mcp/markets
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.