Personal loans in Prestonsburg, KY
Rate ceilings, licensing requirements and product limits for Prestonsburg are all set at the Kentucky level. Prestonsburg is home to roughly 3,721 people and stands 95th by size out of 416 Census places in Kentucky. The roughly 3,721 people who live in Prestonsburg borrow under Kentucky rules; city hall sets no personal-loan rate. A 2020-to-2023 comparison shows Prestonsburg down by about 5.1%. Compare APR, not the interest rate, because the APR folds in most fees on a Prestonsburg loan. The nearest larger city is Paintsville, KY about 10 miles away.
The Prestonsburg data picture
Read the local figures below as context; read the sourced Kentucky table as the rulebook a lender here must follow.
- Population: about 3,721, ranked 95th of 416 places in Kentucky (Census Vintage 2023 subcounty estimate).
- Population trend: Lower by roughly 5.1% since the 2020 count.
- Net change: roughly 200 fewer people than the 2020 Census counted.
- Size percentile: roughly 77% of Kentucky's places have fewer residents than Prestonsburg's 3,721.
- Population density: 253 people per square mile on 14.7 square miles of land.
- Land area: Prestonsburg covers 14.7 square miles, the 24th-largest area among Kentucky's 416 places.
- Water area: Prestonsburg has 0.20 square miles of water, ranking 29th of 416 places in Kentucky.
- Share of state population: Prestonsburg's 3,721 residents are about 0.2% of Kentucky.
- National standing: Prestonsburg ranks 5,648th of 19,457 US places.
- Growth rank: Prestonsburg's 2020-to-2023 change ranks 398th of 416 places in Kentucky.
- Against the state trend: Prestonsburg's 5.1% change compares with a Kentucky average of -0.2% across its 416 places.
- Density rank: Prestonsburg is the 389th most densely settled place in Kentucky.
- Against the state median: Prestonsburg runs about 253 residents per square mile, where the Kentucky median is 1,045.
- Location: 37.6816, -82.7659 (US Census Bureau Gazetteer).
- Nearest larger cities: Paintsville (10 mi); Pikeville (19 mi); Hazard (38 mi); Grayson (46 mi); Morehead (51 mi). Online lenders reach Prestonsburg no matter how far the nearest branch is.
- Smaller places nearby: Allen (5 mi); Martin (8 mi); Coal Run Village (15 mi).
- Smaller places within 50 miles: 43 of them.
- At 100 miles: 53 larger Census places fall inside that radius.
The anatomy of a Prestonsburg personal loan
In Prestonsburg, a small community of about 3,721, the amount is advanced up front and repaid in fixed installments; the city's size does not change the pricing. Two numbers drive a Prestonsburg loan: the APR, which includes fees, and the term, which decides how long you keep paying. Because the payment is fixed, the total cost of a Prestonsburg loan is knowable in advance — unlike a revolving card balance.
Land, water and location for Prestonsburg
Inside Prestonsburg's boundaries lie roughly 14.7 square miles of land and 0.20 square miles of water. That land carries about 253 people per square mile. Lexington-Fayette, the largest place in Kentucky, is about 96 miles from Prestonsburg. Within 50 miles of Prestonsburg there are 4 larger Census places. Within the same 50 miles lie 43 smaller Census places.
What Kentucky law requires in Prestonsburg
For the roughly 3,721 residents of Prestonsburg, the rules below are Kentucky's own; each row carries its publisher and retrieval date.
| Rule | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| State lending regulator | Kentucky Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) Source says: "The Department of Financial Institutions' mission is to serve Kentucky residents by promoting access to a stable financial industry, implementing effective and efficient regulatory oversight". | Kentucky Department of Financial Institutions as of 2026-09-16 |
| Maximum legal interest rate (usury cap) | Up to 19% per annum, or 4% over the 90-day commercial-paper discount rate, whichever is less (by written agreement) Source says: "At a per annum rate not to exceed four percent (4%) in excess of the discount rate on ninety (90) day commercial paper ... or nineteen percent (19%), whichever is less". | Kentucky Legislative Research Commission (Kentucky Revised Statutes) as of 2026-09-16 |
| Payday lending status | Permitted under license (deferred deposit service business; payday loans) Source says: "The Kentucky Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) has secured the services of Veritec Solutions, LLC to provide a common database with real-time access for deferred deposit transactions". | Kentucky Department of Financial Institutions as of 2026-09-16 |
A pre-application checklist for Prestonsburg
A sensible order of operations for a loan in Prestonsburg, home to about 3,721 people:
- Get all three reports, dispute anything wrong, and keep the corrected file for your applications.
- Run the numbers on the personal loan calculator so you know the payment before you apply.
- Line up several pre-qualified offers and let the APR decide.
- Check the Kentucky regulator's records to confirm the lender is licensed here.
- Check the disclosure for fees that raise the true cost above the quoted rate.
- Make sure the new payment leaves room in a budget you already keep.
- Pick the shortest term whose payment you can comfortably afford.
In Prestonsburg as elsewhere in Kentucky, the written terms — not the advertisement — are what count for its 3,721 residents.
Lender access in Prestonsburg
Prestonsburg is lightly settled, with about 253 people per square mile and 4 larger places within 50 miles. Whether Prestonsburg has a local branch or not, a Kentucky-licensed lender can serve its 3,721 people online on the same terms. For a larger market, the closest option is Paintsville, KY about 10 miles away.
Common questions
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Nearby places
- Allen, KY — population 177
- Martin, KY — population 486
- Paintsville, KY — population 4,160
- Wayland, KY — population 377
- Coal Run Village, KY — population 1,600
- Inez, KY — population 515
- Salyersville, KY — population 1,525
- Pikeville, KY — population 7,437