The average American filing bankruptcy is a 35- to 54-year-old married Caucasian with a high school degree or some college, is employed, and earns less than $30,000 per year. ⢠The following groups demonstrated noticeable changes as a percentage which may be attributable to the Great Recession:  Americans 55 years and older are filing at higher rates;  Asian Americans are now filing bankruptcy at double the rate they were in 2006;  African Americans are filing fewer bankruptcies than in 2006;  Americans with advance degrees are filing at higher rates;  Americans earning $30,000 or more make up 41% of filers;  Americans who are unemployed saw a jump in filings by 3.2% since 2008; and  Americans who are married have seen an 8% increase in filings since 2006. ⢠The percentage of Americans reporting Reduction of Income and/or Job Loss as a cause of financial distress increased. ⢠The other common causes of financial distress reported by Americans include Overextended on Credit, Unexpected Expenses, Illness/Injury and Divorce. http://www.financiallit.org/PDF/2009_Demographics_Report.pdf