Associated Press - November 25, 2009 11:44 AM ET

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - The number of Kansans filing for personal or business bankruptcy surged almost 23 percent from the previous federal fiscal year in a reflection of the struggling economy.

Federal court officials on Wednesday released bankruptcy statistics for the 12 months ending Sept. 30.

The U.S. District of Kansas reported 10,588 bankruptcy filings during the year, up 22.6 percent from the 8,637 filings reported in fiscal year 2008.

Nationally, bankruptcy filings rose 34.5 percent over the previous year to 1.4 million.

On a per capita basis, almost four out of every 1,000 Kansans filed for bankruptcy during the fiscal year, ranking the state 31st in the nation.

Nevada led the nation on per capita filings with 10.5 out of every 1,000 residents filing.

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