In part, the region is following a national bounceback after bankruptcies slowed during the pandemic, when many were assisted by an expanded social safety net. But from April 2024 to March of this year, residents of Bay Area counties filed 25% more personal bankruptcies in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of California than in the preceding year —nearly double the nationwide increase. Napa saw the largest bump, 40%, followed by San Mateo and Contra Costa counties, each 30%.
