The Chapter 7 Means Test

State Median Income Levels

The first step in the Chapter 7 means test involves comparing your income to a family the same size as yours in your state.

If your income falls below the median income for your family size, there is no "presumption of abuse" and you can usually file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

If your income is higher than the applicable median income, a more complicated calculation process is required to determine whether you can file under Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy. Click below to ask a bankruptcy lawyer (for free) if you qualify to file Chapter 7 or 13:

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Current State Median Incomes

Find the median income level of your state and talk to a bankruptcy lawyer about your debt-relief options. These numbers are current as of January 18, 2010.

State	Single-Earner	2-Person	3-Person	4-Person*
* Add $6,900 for each individual in excess of 4.
Alabama	$38,415	$48,075	$55,631	$65,311
Alaska	$52,130	$74,073	$77,544	$85,422
Arizona	$42,628	$56,894	$62,066	$69,452
Arkansas	$33,531	$44,415	$48,721	$57,905
California	$48,140	$64,878	$70,890	$79,477
Colorado	$47,253	$64,985	$69,977	$81,644
Connecticut	$58,529	$72,586	$86,643	$102,124
Delaware	$46,414	$60,953	$70,075	$88,725
District Of Columbia	$42,270	$68,892	$69,294	$69,294
Florida	$41,226	$52,259	$58,574	$69,009
Georgia	$40,691	$55,258	$61,104	$68,502
Hawaii	$55,418	$67,199	$77,539	$91,483
Idaho	$39,625	$51,474	$52,765	$62,051
Illinois	$46,105	$60,052	$71,329	$81,465
Indiana	$40,828	$52,554	$59,650	$70,873
Iowa	$40,061	$55,284	$64,372	$72,961
Kansas	$41,357	$57,767	$63,438	$72,610
Kentucky	$37,584	$45,653	$54,683	$64,459
Louisiana	$37,464	$48,287	$53,461	$66,256
Maine	$38,812	$50,912	$62,076	$70,374
Maryland	$55,238	$73,061	$85,455	$101,803
Massachusetts	$53,505	$69,451	$82,591	$99,648
Michigan	$43,611	$52,620	$61,737	$74,824
Minnesota	$45,262	$62,384	$75,073	$86,637
Mississippi	$32,068	$42,758	$46,685	$58,518
Missouri	$39,645	$51,568	$60,371	$71,059
Montana	$40,122	$52,497	$58,636	$65,827
Nebraska	$40,352	$56,861	$63,702	$72,542
Nevada	$46,316	$60,449	$67,052	$71,104
New Hampshire	$51,515	$64,204	$79,668	$93,926
New Jersey	$60,026	$72,000	$86,070	$103,261
New Mexico	$36,773	$50,637	$50,637	$55,561
New York	$46,485	$58,109	$69,421	$82,457
North Carolina	$38,794	$52,194	$56,930	$67,295
North Dakota	$36,884	$54,662	$62,635	$75,140
Ohio	$41,873	$52,216	$61,772	$73,301
Oklahoma	$39,068	$50,891	$54,522	$62,037
Oregon	$42,495	$56,019	$62,832	$72,667
Pennsylvania	$44,555	$53,763	$67,757	$77,867
Rhode Island	$45,222	$62,806	$76,846	$87,002
South Carolina	$39,191	$51,374	$55,296	$65,655
South Dakota	$36,844	$54,331	$63,153	$70,182
Tennessee	$37,732	$49,110	$54,014	$64,228
Texas	$38,940	$55,859	$59,222	$66,381
Utah	$50,568	$56,932	$61,905	$69,990
Vermont	$41,742	$56,858	$65,326	$74,163
Virginia	$48,362	$65,122	$74,151	$85,939
Washington	$51,344	$64,158	$72,533	$82,716
West Virginia	$39,275	$43,224	$51,836	$58,479
Wisconsin	$42,356	$57,405	$68,123	$80,530
Wyoming	$44,161	$59,830	$65,820	$76,964

Commonwealth or U.S. Territory	Single-Earner	2-Person	3-Person	4-Person*
* Add $6,900 for each individual in excess of 4.
Guam	$36,019	$43,066	$49,076	$59,389
Northern Mariana Islands	$20,384	$20,384	$23,196	$27,532
Puerto Rico	$20,715	$20,715	$23,631	$26,822
Virgin Islands	$28,577	$34,348	$36,621	$40,123

Note: "Family size" has a specific legal definition. Consult a local bankruptcy attorney for information on how these changes may impact your bankruptcy options. Although we try to keep the means test median income information on this page as up-to-date as possible, the median income table may be updated at any time, and information on this page may be out of date. The latest information can be found at the U.S. Trustee Program Web site.

Updated: January 18, 2010.

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