Personal loans in Scranton, SC
Borrowers in Scranton, South Carolina usually turn to personal loans for a few reasons: to fold card balances together, to cover a repair, or to bridge a short gap. Scranton ranks 178th of 271 places in South Carolina, with a population near 655. The trend between 2020 and 2023 is upward by roughly 0.2%. A single loan can carry different costs on either side of a state line, because each state sets its own lending rules. Get pre-qualified with several lenders, then compare APR rather than the headline rate. Borrowers who want a bigger city can look to Lake City, SC about 3 miles away.
Borrowing in Scranton: the local picture
Two layers matter for a Scranton borrower: the local population picture and South Carolina's consumer-lending statutes.
- Population: about 655, ranked 178th of 271 places in South Carolina (Census Vintage 2023 subcounty estimate).
- Population trend: The 2020-to-2023 change is positive, near 0.2%.
- Size percentile: bigger than about 34% of the places in South Carolina.
- Location: mapped by the US Census Bureau at 33.9173, -79.7441.
- Nearest larger cities: Lake City (3 mi); Coward (4 mi); Pamplico (11 mi); Turbeville (16 mi); Kingstree (18 mi). Online lenders reach Scranton no matter how far the nearest branch is.
- Smaller towns nearby: Olanta (11 mi); Stuckey (18 mi); Hemingway (21 mi).
What South Carolina law requires in Scranton
This table holds the South Carolina rate and licensing rules for consumer loans made in Scranton.
| Rule | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 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 |
What a Scranton personal loan looks like
Most personal loans made to Scranton residents are unsecured, so no collateral is pledged and the lender leans on your credit history. Compare the APR rather than the interest rate, because origination fees and sometimes prepayment penalties are folded into it. The rate you see advertised is a range, not a promise, until a lender reviews your file.
A pre-application checklist for Scranton
A sensible order of operations for a loan in Scranton:
- 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 Scranton if my credit is poor?
What loan size can I expect in Scranton?
Do I have to pledge anything to borrow in Scranton?
Does comparing loans in Scranton cost me credit score points?
Nearby places
- Lake City, SC — population 5,961
- Coward, SC — population 751
- Olanta, SC — population 542
- Pamplico, SC — population 1,054
- Kingstree, SC — population 3,072
- Florence, SC — population 40,609
- Turbeville, SC — population 746
- Timmonsville, SC — population 2,105