Personal loans in Bethel, OH
The first question in Bethel is not the rate on offer but whether the payment fits; about 2,659 people live here under Ohio lending law. At about 2,659 residents, Bethel is larger than roughly 62% of the places in Ohio.
Bethel added about 1.4% to its population between the 2020 base and the 2023 estimate. State law, rather than federal rules alone, supplies the rate caps and licensing rules that reach Bethel's 2,659 residents. Get pre-qualified with several lenders, then compare APR rather than the headline rate for a Bethel loan. The nearest larger city is Mount Orab, OH about 10 miles away.
Bethel: the sourced local profile
The figures below are Bethel's own — Census population, land area and coordinates — followed by the Ohio rules.
- Population: about 2,659 people live here, which puts Bethel 349th of 924 Census places in Ohio (Vintage 2023).
- Population trend: Growth of about 1.4% across the 2020-to-2023 comparison.
- Absolute change: 38 residents added between 2020 and 2023.
- Size percentile: roughly 62% of Ohio places rank below Bethel.
- Land and density: 1.4 square miles of land carry roughly 1,853 residents per square mile.
- Land area: Bethel covers 1.4 square miles, the 433rd-largest area among Ohio's 924 places.
- Share of state population: Bethel's 2,659 residents are about 0.0% of Ohio.
- National rank: Bethel is the 6,658th most populous of the 19,457 Census places covered here.
- Growth rank: Bethel's 2020-to-2023 change ranks 111th of 924 places in Ohio.
- Against the state trend: Bethel's 1.4% change compares with a Ohio average of +0.9% across its 924 places.
- Density rank: Bethel is the 241st most densely settled place in Ohio.
- Density vs Ohio: Bethel's 1,853 people per square mile compare with a state median of 1,289.
- Location: 38.9629, -84.0846 (US Census Bureau Gazetteer).
- Nearest larger cities: Mount Orab (10 mi); New Richmond (11 mi); Georgetown (12 mi); Alexandria (16 mi); Milford (18 mi). Any of them may have more branches, but statewide rules and your credit still set the price.
- Smaller places nearby: Hamersville (6 mi); Williamsburg (7 mi); Felicity (9 mi).
- Smaller places within 50 miles: 88 of them.
- At 100 miles: 213 larger Census places fall inside that radius.
Where Bethel sits
Inside Bethel's boundaries lie about 1.4 square miles of land, with no significant water area recorded. The resulting density is about 1,853 people per square mile. The state's population centre of gravity, Columbus, is roughly 92 miles away. A 50-mile radius around Bethel takes in 87 places that are larger. The 100-mile radius contains 213 larger places.
Borrowing reach in Bethel
Bethel is moderately settled, with about 1,853 people per square mile and 87 larger places within 50 miles. A Ohio licence lets a lender serve Bethel without a local office, so branch density does not change what its 2,659 residents are offered. The nearest larger city, Mount Orab, OH about 10 miles away.
Ohio consumer-lending rules applied in Bethel
The rows below set out what a licensed lender must follow in Ohio, and so for Bethel's roughly 2,659 residents.
| Rule | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| State lending regulator | Ohio Department of Commerce, Division of Financial Institutions (Consumer Finance Section). Source says: "The Consumer Finance Section is responsible for regulating non-depository consumer lenders and related consumer finance businesses." | Ohio Department of Commerce - Division of Financial Institutions as of 2026-09-16 |
| Maximum legal interest rate (usury cap) | 8% per annum maximum by written agreement for the general case; higher rates permitted only in specified cases (e.g., principal over $100,000, business loans, certain mortgages). Source says: "may stipulate therein for the payment of interest upon the amount thereof at any rate not exceeding eight per cent per annum payable annually" (Ohio Rev. Code 1343.01(A)). [codes.ohio.gov content retrieved via search-engine fetch of the official section; direct connections blocked from our network] | Ohio Laws (Ohio Revised Code - official state publication) as of 2026-09-16 |
| Payday lending status | Legal for licensed short-term lenders; interest capped at 28% per annum; total fees and charges capped at 60% of the originally contracted loan amount. Source says: "(A) Interest not exceeding a rate of twenty-eight per cent per annum" (Ohio Rev. Code 1321.40); total fees/charges capped at "a total amount of fees and charges that exceeds sixty per cent of the originally contracted loan amount" (1321.403). | Ohio Laws (Ohio Revised Code - official state publication) as of 2026-09-16 |
How Bethel compares across Ohio
Among Ohio's 924 places, Bethel sits at 349th for population, a share of roughly 0.0% of the state. Its 2020-to-2023 change ranks 111th of 924 Ohio places, putting it near the 88th percentile for growth. At about 1,853 people per square mile, Bethel is the 241st most densely settled place in Ohio. Within 50 miles sit 88 smaller Census places, alongside the 87 that are larger.
What a Bethel borrower is actually offered
With roughly 2,659 residents, Bethel is a small community; its personal loans are typically unsecured, priced from your credit rather than the city's size. Because pricing is borrower-level, two people in Bethel can be quoted different APRs on the same amount and term. Shortening the term on a Bethel loan raises the monthly payment but cuts the interest; lengthening it does the reverse.
Common questions
What are my options in Bethel if my credit is poor?
What loan size can I expect in Bethel?
Do I have to pledge anything to borrow in Bethel?
Does comparing loans in Bethel cost me credit score points?
Nearby places
- Williamsburg, OH — population 2,624
- Hamersville, OH — population 487
- Felicity, OH — population 656
- Batavia, OH — population 2,004
- Owensville, OH — population 810
- Mount Orab, OH — population 4,349
- Moscow, OH — population 157
- Chilo, OH — population 72