Personal loans in Madison, WV
To lend to Madison's 2,742 residents, a company must hold a West Virginia licence, and each sourced row below names the regulator behind it. With an estimated 2,742 residents, Madison is the 46th-largest of 230 places in West Virginia. Madison counts about 2,742 people, and what is genuinely local about borrowing here is limited — West Virginia law does the governing. The 2020 count to the 2023 estimate shows about 5.9% decline in Madison. Get pre-qualified with several lenders, then compare APR rather than the headline rate for a Madison loan. The closest larger place is South Charleston, WV about 20 miles away.
The Madison data picture
Madison is a small community; the notes below cover its population profile and the statewide rules that apply.
- Population: the Census counts 2,742 residents in Madison (Vintage 2023 subcounty estimate), the 46th-largest figure among West Virginia's 230 places.
- Population trend: A decline of about 5.9% across the 2020-to-2023 comparison.
- Net change: roughly 171 fewer people than the 2020 Census counted.
- Size percentile: Madison sits ahead of around 80% of West Virginia places, at 2,742 people.
- Density: the Census land area of 7.6 sq mi holds about 359 people per square mile.
- Land area rank: Madison's 7.6 square miles rank 15th of 230 places in West Virginia.
- Water area: Madison has 0.06 square miles of water, ranking 49th of 230 places in West Virginia.
- Share of West Virginia: Madison holds about 0.5% of the state's population, some 2,742 people.
- National standing: Madison ranks 6,561st of 19,457 US places.
- Growth in West Virginia: Madison stands 207th by percentage change from 2020 to 2023, among 230 places.
- Against the state trend: Madison's 5.9% change compares with a West Virginia average of -3.0% across its 230 places.
- Density rank: Madison places 206th among West Virginia's places by people per square mile.
- Density vs West Virginia: Madison's 359 people per square mile compare with a state median of 1,021.
- Location: latitude 38.0651, longitude -81.8022 (Census Gazetteer).
- Nearest larger cities: South Charleston (20 mi); Dunbar (21 mi); St. Albans (22 mi); Charleston (22 mi); Nitro (24 mi). A branch is convenient; it is not what sets your APR.
- Smaller communities within reach: Danville (2 mi); Chapmanville (14 mi); Sylvester (14 mi).
- Smaller places within 50 miles: 60 of them.
- At 100 miles: 62 larger Census places fall inside that radius.
What is available to Madison borrowers
Madison is lightly settled, with about 359 people per square mile and 16 larger places within 50 miles. Whether Madison has a local branch or not, a West Virginia-licensed lender can serve its 2,742 people online on the same terms. For a larger market, the closest option is South Charleston, WV about 20 miles away.
The anatomy of a Madison personal loan
Madison is a small community of about 2,742 people, and the personal loans written here are mostly unsecured — no collateral, so the lender leans on your credit file. Because pricing is borrower-level, two people in Madison can be quoted different APRs on the same amount and term. Because the payment is fixed, the total cost of a Madison loan is knowable in advance — unlike a revolving card balance.
What to do before borrowing in Madison
A sensible order of operations for a loan in Madison, home to about 2,742 people:
- Check all three credit reports for mistakes, because an error you fix now is a lower rate later.
- Price the payment first with our personal loan calculator before any lender quotes you.
- Shop at least three lenders and judge them on APR and total cost.
- Confirm the West Virginia licence with the regulator named above before committing.
- Pick the shortest term whose payment you can comfortably afford.
- Do not borrow more than the expense calls for, even if a lender approves a larger amount.
- Be clear on what the loan is for and how it gets repaid.
What differs between Madison and the rest of West Virginia is not the process but the borrower's own file, among the 2,742 people here.
West Virginia consumer-lending rules applied in Madison
For the roughly 2,742 residents of Madison, the rules below are West Virginia's own; each row carries its publisher and retrieval date.
| Rule | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| State lending regulator | West Virginia Division of Financial Institutions (WV DFI) Source says: The West Virginia Division of Financial Institutions is charged with the regulation and supervision of financial institutions chartered by the State of West Virginia. | West Virginia Division of Financial Institutions (WV DFI) as of 2026-09-16 |
| Payday lending status | Traditional payday lending is generally prohibited; check cashers are regulated under W. Va. Code ch. 32A Source says: Traditional "Payday Lenders" are generally prohibited within this state. | West Virginia Division of Financial Institutions (WV DFI) as of 2026-09-16 |
| Small-loan / installment lender licensing | Regulated consumer lender license required from the Commissioner (W. Va. Code § 46A-4-101) Source says: Unless a person has first obtained a license from the commissioner authorizing the person to make regulated consumer loans | West Virginia Legislature (West Virginia Code) as of 2026-09-16 |
Where Madison sits
Inside Madison's boundaries lie roughly 7.6 square miles of land and 0.06 square miles of water. With 2,742 residents, the land area yields roughly 359 people per square mile. For the state's biggest city, Charleston, the distance is roughly 22 miles. Madison has 16 larger places within a 50-mile radius. Within the same 50 miles lie 60 smaller Census places.
Common questions
What are my options in Madison if my credit is poor?
What loan size can I expect in Madison?
Do I have to pledge anything to borrow in Madison?
Does comparing loans in Madison cost me credit score points?
Nearby places
- Danville, WV — population 640
- Chapmanville, WV — population 956
- Mitchell Heights, WV — population 299
- Sylvester, WV — population 154
- West Logan, WV — population 373
- Logan, WV — population 1,337
- Whitesville, WV — population 337
- Marmet, WV — population 1,435