Personal loans in Benton, PA
The first question in Benton is not the rate on offer but whether the payment fits; about 822 people live here under Pennsylvania lending law. A 2020-to-2023 comparison shows Benton down by about 0.2%. By population, Benton sits at 642nd in Pennsylvania, with an estimated 822 residents. Pull your credit reports and line up at least three offers before you apply from Benton. Consumer lending that reaches Benton's 822 residents is governed by Pennsylvania statute; no city ordinance changes it. A larger market lies at Millville, PA about 9 miles away.
What the Census records for Benton
The figures below are Benton's own — Census population, land area and coordinates — followed by the Pennsylvania rules.
- Population: 822 residents; Benton is the 642nd-largest of 1,013 places in Pennsylvania (US Census Bureau, Vintage 2023).
- Population trend: About 0.2% below the 2020 Census base.
- Net change: roughly 2 fewer people than the 2020 Census counted.
- Size percentile: roughly 37% of Pennsylvania's places have fewer residents than Benton's 822.
- Density: the Census land area of 0.6 sq mi holds about 1,377 people per square mile.
- Land area rank: Benton's 0.6 square miles rank 659th of 1,013 places in Pennsylvania.
- Water area rank: Benton ranks 349th among Pennsylvania's 1,013 places, with 0.02 sq mi.
- Within Pennsylvania: about 0.0% of the state's population lives in Benton.
- National rank: Benton is the 11,063rd most populous of the 19,457 Census places covered here.
- Growth rank: Benton ranks 296th among Pennsylvania's 1,013 places for the 2020-to-2023 change.
- Against the state trend: Benton's 0.2% change compares with a Pennsylvania average of -0.9% across its 1,013 places.
- Density in Pennsylvania: Benton ranks 628th by people per square mile.
- Density vs Pennsylvania: Benton's 1,377 people per square mile compare with a state median of 1,990.
- Location: mapped by the US Census Bureau at 41.1957, -76.3843.
- Nearest larger cities: Millville (9 mi); Berwick (12 mi); Nescopeck (13 mi); Bloomsburg (14 mi); Catawissa (17 mi). For most borrowers the comparison happens online, not at a branch.
- Smaller communities within reach: Stillwater (3 mi); New Columbus (5 mi); Orangeville (8 mi).
- Within a 50-mile radius: 60 smaller Census places.
- Within 100 miles: 398 places are larger than Benton.
Steps to take before a Benton loan
Before you apply in Benton, a community of about 822, work through these steps:
- Order your free credit reports and dispute anything inaccurate — it is the cheapest way to move the rate you are offered.
- Price the payment first with our personal loan calculator before any lender quotes you.
- Get several pre-qualifications and compare APR side by side before choosing.
- Look the lender up in the Pennsylvania regulator's licence records before you sign.
- Test the payment against your current bills before you commit.
- Weigh a shorter term's higher payment against the interest it saves.
- Borrow only what the purpose requires, not the maximum you are offered.
What differs between Benton and the rest of Pennsylvania is not the process but the borrower's own file, among the 822 people here.
Land, water and location for Benton
The Census Gazetteer records 0.6 square miles of land and 0.02 square miles of water within Benton. With 822 residents, the land area yields roughly 1,377 people per square mile. The state's population centre of gravity, Philadelphia, is roughly 105 miles away. Within 50 miles of Benton there are 111 larger Census places. The 100-mile radius contains 398 larger places.
Which Pennsylvania laws govern a loan in Benton
Read the table as a lender's compliance picture for Benton: the rule, the sourced figure, the publisher and the date.
| Rule | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| State lending regulator | Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities (DoBS) Source says: "The Department of Banking and Securities regulates financial services in Pennsylvania." | Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities as of 2026-09-16 |
| Maximum legal interest rate (usury cap) | 6% per annum maximum for loans of $50,000 or less where no lower rate is contracted (41 P.S. 201(a)). Source says: "the maximum lawful rate of interest for the loan or use of money... shall be six per cent per annum" (Loan Interest and Protection Law, Section 201(a)). | Pennsylvania General Assembly (Laws of Pennsylvania, Act 6 of 1974) as of 2026-09-16 |
| Payday lending status | No separate payday-lending license; non-bank lenders are limited to 6% (unlicensed) or up to 24% (CDCA-licensed), so high-cost payday loans are not permitted. Source says: "if a lender is licensed by the Department in accord with the CDCA, it can charge between 6-24% on loans under $25,000" (DoBS interpretive letter, May 11, 2023). | Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities as of 2026-09-16 |
What shapes a Benton personal loan
Most loans made to Benton's 822 residents are unsecured, so nothing is pledged and the lender relies on your credit history. The rate you see advertised is a range, not a promise, until a lender reviews your file in Benton. Shortening the term on a Benton loan raises the monthly payment but cuts the interest; lengthening it does the reverse.
Borrowing reach in Benton
At roughly 1,377 people per square mile, Benton is moderately settled; 111 larger places lie within 50 miles. A Pennsylvania licence lets a lender serve Benton without a local office, so branch density does not change what its 822 residents are offered. For a larger market, the closest option is Millville, PA about 9 miles away.
Common questions
What are my options in Benton if my credit is poor?
What loan size can I expect in Benton?
Do I have to pledge anything to borrow in Benton?
Does comparing loans in Benton cost me credit score points?
Nearby places
- Stillwater, PA — population 199
- New Columbus, PA — population 221
- Orangeville, PA — population 479
- Millville, PA — population 984
- Briar Creek, PA — population 596
- Berwick, PA — population 10,261
- Bloomsburg, PA — population 13,112
- Nescopeck, PA — population 1,488