The number of Hawaii residents and businesses filing for bankruptcy fell in January for the 23rd consecutive month amid improving economic conditions and declining credit card debt.

The 159 cases filed in January represented a 25 percent decrease from the 212 cases filed the same month a year earlier, according to data released Friday by U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Bankruptcy filings have been on a downward trend since peaking in 2010 with an average of 330 cases a month.

Bankruptcies fell in all counties except Kauai. In Hono­lulu County the number of cases fell to 100 in January, a 28 percent drop from 139 the same month last year.

Filings in Hawaii County fell 33.3 percent to 16 cases, and in Maui County they fell 18.9 percent to 30 cases. Filings rose to 13 in Kauai County from 12 in January 2012.

The biggest drop by category was in Chapter 7 liquidation cases, which fell by 31.5 percent to 113 cases. The number of Chapter 13 cases, which allow debtors to keep their assets if they set up a plan to pay creditors over time, fell to 45 in January from 47 from the same month a year earlier.

The only Chapter 11 business reorganization plan was filed by Atlas Steel Corp., a local manufacturer of light-gauge steel building materials. The company listed assets of $58,750 and debts of more than $2.12 million.

The Honolulu-based company reported $1.34 million in unsecured claims, including back rent and shareholder loans, according to the filing.

The drop in bankruptcy filings in recent months has been accompanied by declining credit card debt. The most recent data from credit-scoring website Credit Karma showed that average credit card debt in Hawaii dropped to $6,620 in December, a 12 percent decline from the same month in 2011.

Although Hawaii ranked second highest nationally in average credit card debt outstanding, residents also had the nation’s highest average credit score at 668. A high credit score indicates an ability to repay debt.

Strengthening job growth and a declining unemployment rate have contributed to Hawaii’s improving credit picture. The state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations reported last month that the number of nonagricultural jobs grew by 11,900 in December from the same month a year earlier. The jobless rate, meanwhile, fell to 5.2 percent, its lowest level in four years.