Personal loans in Smiths Station, AL
State law, not city hall, decides what a lender may do to Smiths Station's roughly 5,477 residents, and a state regulator supervises it.
Smiths Station is a small town of about 5,477 residents, and a personal loan taken out here is governed by Alabama statute. Smiths Station ranks 100th of 462 places in Alabama, with a population near 5,477. Census figures put the 2020-to-2023 increase in Smiths Station at about 0.9%. Verify the lender's Alabama licence against the regulator named below before borrowing in Smiths Station. The closest larger city is Phenix City, AL about 6 miles away.
Smiths Station: population, trend and location
Most of what governs a Smiths Station loan is written in Alabama law rather than in the city; the sourced notes below make that split concrete.
- Population: 5,477 — Smiths Station ranks 100th of 462 communities in Alabama (US Census Bureau, Vintage 2023).
- Population trend: Up about 0.9% from the 2020 Census base to the 2023 estimate.
- Absolute change: 48 residents added between 2020 and 2023.
- Size percentile: about 78% of Alabama communities are smaller than Smiths Station (5,477 residents).
- Density: roughly 670 residents per square mile, spread over 8.2 sq mi of land.
- By land area: Smiths Station ranks 174th among Alabama's 462 places, at 8.2 sq mi.
- Water: Smiths Station holds about 0.03 square miles, the 195th-largest water area in Alabama.
- State population share: Smiths Station accounts for about 0.2% of everyone in Alabama.
- National standing: Smiths Station ranks 4,588th of 19,457 US places.
- Growth in Alabama: Smiths Station stands 191st by percentage change from 2020 to 2023, among 462 places.
- State comparison: Alabama's places average +1.0% for 2020-to-2023, against Smiths Station's 0.9%.
- Density in Alabama: Smiths Station ranks 75th by people per square mile.
- Density in context: Smiths Station's 670 people per square mile sit against a Alabama median of 259.
- Location: the Census Gazetteer records it at 32.5229, -85.0994.
- Nearest larger cities: Phenix City (6 mi); Columbus (13 mi); Opelika (19 mi); Valley (20 mi); Cusseta-Chattahoochee County (22 mi). Living near a larger metro rarely changes what is available in Smiths Station.
- Nearest smaller towns: Hamilton (21 mi); Cusseta (22 mi); Waverly Hall (24 mi).
- Within a 50-mile radius: 40 smaller Census places.
- Larger places within 100 miles: 73.
Smiths Station against the rest of Alabama
Smiths Station is the 100th-largest of 462 Census places in Alabama and contains about 0.2% of the state's people. Its 2020-to-2023 change ranks 191st of 462 Alabama places, putting it near the 59th percentile for growth. By density, at about 670 people per square mile, it ranks 75th in Alabama. In land area, Smiths Station ranks 174th among Alabama's 462 places.
Alabama rules behind a Smiths Station personal loan
Read the table as a lender's compliance picture for Smiths Station: the rule, the sourced figure, the publisher and the date.
| Rule | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| State lending regulator | Alabama State Banking Department — Bureau of Loans (BOL) Source says: "The Bureau of Loans (hereinafter “the BOL”) was established in 1945". The BOL administers the Small Loan Act, Consumer Credit Act, Pawn Shop Act, Mortgage Brokers Licensing Act, Deferred Presentment Services Act and SAFE Act. | Alabama State Banking Department as of 2026-09-16 |
| Small-loan / installment lender licensing | Alabama Small Loan Act license required from the supervisor for loans under $1,500; interest capped at 3% per month on the first $200 and 2% per month on $200–$1,500 Source says: "No person shall engage in the business of lending in amounts of less than one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500)"; "without first having obtained a license from the supervisor"; "not exceeding three percent a month on that part of the unpaid principal balance not in excess of two hundred dollars". | Alabama State Banking Department — Alabama Small Loan Act (Code of Alabama §§ 5-18-1 et seq.) as of 2026-09-16 |
| Parity lending rate provision (§ 8-8-1.1) | Any lender may charge the same rates as any federally or state-chartered or licensed lending institution in Alabama Source says: "may, on any loans or extensions of credit made by them, charge or impose the same rate of interest or finance charge". | Alabama Legislature — Code of Alabama 1975, § 8-8-1.1 as of 2026-09-16 |
The Smiths Station borrowing checklist
For Smiths Station's roughly 5,477 residents, these are the steps that most influence the offer:
- Get your credit reports, dispute what is wrong, and only then start shopping.
- Price the payment first with our personal loan calculator before any lender quotes you.
- Get several pre-qualifications and compare APR side by side before choosing.
- Look the lender up in the Alabama regulator's licence records before you sign.
- 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.
- Write down the purpose of the loan and your repayment plan before you apply.
In Smiths Station as elsewhere in Alabama, the written terms — not the advertisement — are what count for its 5,477 residents.
How lenders reach Smiths Station
At roughly 670 people per square mile, Smiths Station is moderately settled; 10 larger places lie within 50 miles. Whether Smiths Station has a local branch or not, a Alabama-licensed lender can serve its 5,477 people online on the same terms. The nearest larger city, Phenix City, AL about 6 miles away.
What shapes a Smiths Station personal loan
In Smiths Station, a small town of about 5,477, the amount is advanced up front and repaid in fixed installments; the city's size does not change the pricing. Because pricing is borrower-level, two people in Smiths Station can be quoted different APRs on the same amount and term. Because the payment is fixed, the total cost of a Smiths Station loan is knowable in advance — unlike a revolving card balance.
Common questions
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Nearby places
- Phenix City, AL — population 38,441
- Columbus, GA — population 201,877
- Valley, AL — population 10,308
- Opelika, AL — population 33,572
- Hamilton, GA — population 1,763
- Cusseta, AL — population 149
- Lanett, AL — population 6,751
- Cusseta-Chattahoochee County, GA — population 8,661