Personal loans in Calais, ME

Get pre-qualified with several lenders, then compare APR rather than the headline rate for a Calais loan. Rate ceilings, licensing requirements and product limits for Calais are all set at the Maine level. Population in Calais climbed about 1.5% over the three years from 2020 to 2023. The nearest larger city is Ellsworth, ME about 73 miles away.

Where Calais stands

The figures below are Calais's own — Census population, land area and coordinates — followed by the Maine rules.

• Population: 3,126 residents; Calais is the 21st-largest of 23 places in Maine (US Census Bureau, Vintage 2023).
• Population trend: Up about 1.5% from the 2020 Census base to the 2023 estimate.
• People gained or lost: about 45 more since the 2020 base.
• Size percentile: about 9% of Maine communities are smaller than Calais (3,126 residents).
• Population density: about 91 people per square mile (Census land area 34.3 sq mi).
• By land area: Calais ranks 9th among Maine's 23 places, at 34.3 sq mi.
• Water area: Calais has 5.76 square miles of water, ranking 7th of 23 places in Maine.
• State share: roughly 0.8% of Maine's residents live in Calais (3,126 people).
• National rank: Calais sits 6,148th by population among the 19,457 places in this dataset.
• Growth rank: Calais ranks 8th among Maine's 23 places for the 2020-to-2023 change.
• Against the state trend: Calais's 1.5% change compares with a Maine average of +1.3% across its 23 places.
• Density rank: Calais is the 23rd most densely settled place in Maine.
• Density in context: Calais's 91 people per square mile sit against a Maine median of 466.
• Location: the Census Gazetteer records it at 45.1430, -67.2175.
• Nearest larger cities: Ellsworth (73 mi); Old Town (75 mi); Brewer (78 mi); Bangor (80 mi); Belfast (102 mi). Any of them may have more branches, but statewide rules and your credit still set the price.
• Smaller places nearby: Eastport (19 mi).
• Within a 50-mile radius: 1 smaller Census places.
• Within 100 miles: 4 places are larger than Calais.

How personal loans work in Calais

A Calais personal loan is an installment loan: a lump sum, then fixed monthly payments over a set term, priced off your credit rather than its 3,126 residents. The APR tracks your credit score rather than Calais's rank of 21st in Maine: a strong file may earn a single-digit rate, while damaged credit can push the rate far higher. Because the payment is fixed, the total cost of a Calais loan is knowable in advance — unlike a revolving card balance.

A practical checklist for Calais borrowers

Before you apply in Calais, a community of about 3,126, work through these steps:

1. Start with the credit file: order the reports, fix the errors, then apply.
2. Run the numbers on the personal loan calculator so you know the payment before you apply.
3. Line up several pre-qualified offers and let the APR decide.
4. Check the Maine regulator's records to confirm the lender is licensed here.
5. Pick the shortest term whose payment you can comfortably afford.
6. Borrow only what the purpose requires, not the maximum you are offered.
7. Decide the purpose and how you will repay it before approaching any lender.

The process is identical across Maine; what changes is your credit file, not the fact that Calais holds 3,126 people.

What Maine law requires in Calais

Below are the Maine rules that apply to a loan made in Calais, each with the regulator that issued it.

Where Calais sits in Maine

Set beside Maine's 23 places, Calais ranks 21st by population and holds about 0.8% of the state total. Its 2020-to-2023 change ranks 8th of 23 Maine places, putting it near the 65th percentile for growth. At about 91 people per square mile, Calais is the 23rd most densely settled place in Maine. Between 2020 and 2023 the count changed by roughly 45 residents.

Land, water and location for Calais

Calais's land area is about 34.3 square miles; a further 5.76 square miles is water. That land carries about 91 people per square mile. For the state's biggest city, Portland, the distance is roughly 180 miles. Calais has 0 larger places within a 50-mile radius. By land area it ranks 9th of 23 Maine places.