Personal loans in Hampton, SC
Two households in Hampton, South Carolina with comparable incomes can still be offered different rates, because each lender weighs a credit file its own way. Hampton is home to roughly 2,610 people and stands 98th by size out of 271 Census places in South Carolina. Hampton lost roughly 3.5% of its population across the 2020-to-2023 comparison. Every figure below is South Carolina's own, carrying the publisher and the retrieval date. Verify the lender's South Carolina licence against the regulator named below. The closest larger city is Walterboro, SC about 25 miles away.
Borrowing in Hampton: the local picture
Read the local figures below as context; read the sourced South Carolina table as the rulebook a lender here must follow.
- Population: about 2,610 people live here, which puts Hampton 98th of 271 Census places in South Carolina (Vintage 2023).
- Population trend: Lower by roughly 3.5% since the 2020 count.
- Size percentile: it is larger than about 64% of South Carolina's Census places.
- Location: 32.8676, -81.1094 (US Census Bureau Gazetteer).
- Nearest larger cities: Walterboro (25 mi); Ridgeland (30 mi); Barnwell (30 mi); Bamberg (30 mi); Denmark (31 mi). Living near a larger metro rarely changes what is available in Hampton.
- Nearest smaller towns: Varnville (2 mi); Brunson (6 mi); Gifford (8 mi).
What South Carolina law requires in Hampton
The rows below set out what a licensed lender must follow in South Carolina, and so in Hampton.
| Rule | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| State lending regulator | South Carolina State Board of Financial Institutions - Consumer Finance Division (Office of the Commissioner of Consumer Finance) Source says: "South Carolina State Board of Financial Institutions Office of the Commissioner of Consumer Finance" (site heading). | South Carolina State Board of Financial Institutions - Consumer Finance Division as of 2026-09-16 |
| Supervised loan threshold (state-specific rule) | Consumer loans with a finance charge above 12%/year are "supervised loans" requiring licensed supervised lenders; supervised lenders may charge up to 18% per year on unpaid balances. Source says: "Supervised loan means a consumer loan in which the rate of the loan finance charge exceeds twelve percent per year" (37-3-301); "eighteen percent per year on the unpaid balances of principal" (37-3-201(2)(c)). | South Carolina Legislature (S.C. Code of Laws) as of 2026-09-16 |
| Maximum legal interest rate (usury cap) | 8.75% per annum statutory legal rate where no rate is agreed (judgment rate: Wall Street Journal prime + 4 points). Source says: "the legal interest shall be at the rate of eight and three-fourths percent per annum" (S.C. Code 34-31-20(A)). | South Carolina Legislature (S.C. Code of Laws) as of 2026-09-16 |
| Payday lending status | Legal for licensed deferred presentment providers; max $550 advanced at one time; fee limited to 15% of principal; term up to 31 days; 2025 repeal bill S.379 introduced but not enacted. Source says: "The total amount advanced by a licensee to any customer at one time for deferred presentment or deposit may not exceed five hundred fifty dollars" (34-39-180(B)); fees capped at "fifteen percent of the principal amount of the transaction" (34-39-180(E)). | South Carolina Legislature (S.C. Code of Laws) as of 2026-09-16 |
| Small-loan / installment lender licensing | Consumer Finance Division licenses and regulates companies making consumer loans with APRs exceeding 12% (Title 37 Consumer Protection Code; Consumer Finance Act, Title 34, ch. 29). Source says: "The Consumer Finance Division (CFD) licenses and regulates the business activities of all companies... that make consumer loans which have annual percentage rates exceeding 12%." | South Carolina State Board of Financial Institutions - Consumer Finance Division as of 2026-09-16 |
What a Hampton personal loan looks like
In Hampton, as throughout South Carolina, federal Truth in Lending rules require a lender to disclose the APR and finance charge before you sign. Deciding what the loan is for, and what you will do differently afterward, matters more than the headline rate. No advertised example rate is a quote for your own situation.
A pre-application checklist for Hampton
Before you hand your details to a lender in Hampton:
- 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.
- Pre-qualify with three or more lenders, then compare the APR rather than the interest rate.
- Confirm the lender holds a South Carolina licence by checking the regulator named above.
- Read the disclosure for an origination fee and any prepayment penalty before signing.
Common questions
What are my options in Hampton if my credit is poor?
What loan size can I expect in Hampton?
Do I have to pledge anything to borrow in Hampton?
Does comparing loans in Hampton cost me credit score points?
Nearby places
- Varnville, SC — population 1,622
- Brunson, SC — population 416
- Gifford, SC — population 251
- Luray, SC — population 95
- Fairfax, SC — population 1,384
- Estill, SC — population 1,767
- Furman, SC — population 222
- Sycamore, SC — population 140