Business failures are up 6.4% in the United States.

Failures in the first nine months of 1985 rose to 42,356 from 39,791 in the same period last year, according to data compiled by Dun & Bradstreet. “The increase is directly attributable to a dramatic gain in business failures in the service sector,” said Joseph W. Duncan, corporate economist of Dun & Bradstreet. The company said that failures in the service sector through September rose by 24.7% to 12,082 from a year ago. Failures of service companies currently account for nearly 29% of all business failures. Failures in the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector also rose sharply, with a 30% gain to 2,074. Finance, insurance and real estate bankruptcies increased by 8.4% to 1,984.

BUSINESS FAILURES BY REGION

Nine months ended Sept. 30 and change from 1984

New England 959 +4.5% Middle Atlantic 3,249 -18.1 East North Central 7,622 +15.1 West North Central 3,494 +35.1 South Atlantic 4,934 +3.3 East South Central 2,489 -0.9 West South Central 5,619 +43.1 Mountain 3,867 +6.0 Pacific 10,123 -6.5 Total 42,356 +6.4

SOURCE: Dun & Bradstreet