Filings have been rising steadily each year since the beginning of 2006, shortly after Congress overhauled the U.S. bankruptcy system.
Bankruptcies surged to around 2 million in 2005 as consumers rushed to file before the new law took effect but then plummeted in 2006. They've been climbing ever since.
The West saw a particularly fast rise in 2009, with Arizona jumping 77 percent and Wyoming up 60 percent from 2008.