Personal loans in Smithfield, KY
When you compare personal loans in Smithfield, Kentucky, the figure to hold side by side is the APR, not the advertised rate. About 126 people live in Smithfield, placing it 399th of 416 Census places in Kentucky. Population in Smithfield climbed about 5.0% over the three years from 2020 to 2023. Consumer lending in Kentucky is governed by state statute; no city ordinance changes it. Read the disclosure for an origination fee and any prepayment penalty before signing. Borrowers who want a bigger city can look to Eminence, KY about 5 miles away.
Borrowing in Smithfield: the local picture
What follows is Smithfield's place in the Census record, alongside the Kentucky rules that govern a personal loan made here.
- Population: 126 residents; Smithfield is the 399th-largest of 416 places in Kentucky (US Census Bureau, Vintage 2023).
- Population trend: Roughly 5.0% more residents than the 2020 Census counted.
- Size percentile: about 4% of Kentucky's Census places are smaller than it.
- Location: the Census Gazetteer records it at 38.3866, -85.2548.
- Nearest larger cities: Eminence (5 mi); New Castle (6 mi); La Grange (7 mi); Pleasureville (8 mi); Campbellsburg (9 mi). Any of them may have more branches, but statewide rules and your credit still set the price.
- Smaller communities close by: Gratz (18 mi); Hickory Hill (18 mi); Ten Broeck (19 mi), each with its own Census population profile.
What Kentucky law requires in Smithfield
Each figure in the table below carries a publisher and a date; where the state publishes nothing, we point to the source rather than estimate.
| Rule | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Small-loan / installment lender licensing | Consumer Loan Company license required (KRS Chapter 286.4) Source says: "How to License a Consumer Loan Company: 1. Read KRS 286.4 and the applicable administrative regulations under KAR 808, Chapter 6". | Kentucky Department of Financial Institutions as of 2026-09-16 |
| 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 |
| Consumer Loan Company license — statutory basis | License required from the commissioner to make loans at a greater rate of interest than otherwise permitted by law Source says: "No person shall, without first obtaining a license from the commissioner, engage in the business of making loans ... at a greater rate of interest". | Kentucky Legislative Research Commission (Kentucky Revised Statutes) 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 |
What a Smithfield personal loan looks like
Because a personal loan payment is fixed, the total cost is knowable in advance — the main difference from a credit card, where the balance revolves. Most scoring models treat rate-shopping within a focused window as one inquiry, so comparing offers early is usually safe. Borrowing is a decision to make calmly, not one to rush.
A pre-application checklist for Smithfield
These are the steps that most influence the offer you get in Smithfield:
- 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 Kentucky licence by checking the regulator named above.
- Check that the monthly payment fits your budget next to your existing obligations.
Common questions
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Nearby places
- Eminence, KY — population 2,744
- New Castle, KY — population 891
- La Grange, KY — population 10,417
- Campbellsburg, KY — population 848
- Pleasureville, KY — population 797
- Shelbyville, KY — population 17,804
- Simpsonville, KY — population 3,068
- Bedford, KY — population 527