Personal loans in St. Clairsville, OH

For a borrower among the roughly 4,973 residents of St. Clairsville, a personal loan is a tool whose cost turns on the terms, not the address. State law, not city hall, decides what a lender may do to St.

By the Personalloaner Editorial Team · Last updated 2026-09-16

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Clairsville's roughly 4,973 residents, and a state regulator supervises it. St. Clairsville is home to roughly 4,973 people and stands 255th by size out of 924 Census places in Ohio. Work out your debt-to-income ratio first; lenders weigh it heavily, and St. Clairsville's 4,973 residents are no exception. Population in St. Clairsville dropped about 2.4% over the three years from 2020 to 2023. The nearest larger metro is Martins Ferry, OH about 9 miles away.

Local context for St. Clairsville

Most of what governs a St. Clairsville loan is written in Ohio law rather than in the city; the sourced notes below make that split concrete.

Population: about 4,973 people live here, which puts St. Clairsville 255th of 924 Census places in Ohio (Vintage 2023).
Population trend: A loss of roughly 2.4% between 2020 and 2023.
Absolute change: 122 residents lost between 2020 and 2023.
Size percentile: St. Clairsville sits ahead of around 72% of Ohio places, at 4,973 people.
Population density: about 2,053 people per square mile (Census land area 2.4 sq mi).
By land area: St. Clairsville ranks 325th among Ohio's 924 places, at 2.4 sq mi.
Water: St. Clairsville holds about 0.02 square miles, the 325th-largest water area in Ohio.
Share of state population: St. Clairsville's 4,973 residents are about 0.1% of Ohio.
National rank: St. Clairsville is 4,841st of 19,457 places nationwide.
Growth rank: St. Clairsville's 2020-to-2023 change ranks 791st of 924 places in Ohio.
Against the state trend: St. Clairsville's 2.4% change compares with a Ohio average of +0.9% across its 924 places.
Density rank: St. Clairsville is the 190th most densely settled place in Ohio.
Against the state median: St. Clairsville runs about 2,053 residents per square mile, where the Ohio median is 1,289.
Location: mapped by the US Census Bureau at 40.0783, -80.8992.
Nearest larger cities: Martins Ferry (9 mi); Wheeling (11 mi); Moundsville (14 mi); Steubenville (24 mi); Weirton (29 mi). Any of them may have more branches, but statewide rules and your credit still set the price.
Nearest smaller towns: Harrisville (7 mi); Brookside (7 mi); Bridgeport (8 mi).
Smaller neighbours: 164 places smaller than St. Clairsville sit within 50 miles.
At 100 miles: 144 larger Census places fall inside that radius.

St. Clairsville's place among Ohio's 924 places

Within Ohio, St. Clairsville holds roughly 0.1% of all residents, the 255th-largest share among 924 places. For population change between 2020 and 2023, St. Clairsville ranks 791st of 924 in Ohio (about the 14th percentile). At about 2,053 people per square mile, St. Clairsville is the 190th most densely settled place in Ohio. The population moved by about 122 people between 2020 and 2023, a 2.4% shift.

How lenders reach St. Clairsville

St. Clairsville is a fairly dense community of about 4,973 people, with 17 larger places inside a 50-mile radius. A Ohio licence lets a lender serve St. Clairsville without a local office, so branch density does not change what its 4,973 residents are offered. The nearest bigger place is Martins Ferry, OH about 9 miles away.

The state rulebook for St. Clairsville

Every row below records a Ohio rule, its publisher and its retrieval date — the same rules a St. Clairsville lender must follow.

Rule	Detail	Source
State lending regulator	Ohio Department of Commerce, Division of Financial Institutions (Consumer Finance Section). Source says: "The Consumer Finance Section is responsible for regulating non-depository consumer lenders and related consumer finance businesses."	Ohio Department of Commerce - Division of Financial Institutions as of 2026-09-16
Small-loan / installment lender licensing	Consumer finance licenses required for non-depository lenders, including Consumer Installment Loan Act lenders, General Loan Law lenders, short-term lenders, and small loan lenders. Source says: "We issue and manage licenses for companies and individuals under multiple Ohio statutes." (page's regulated-statutes list names Consumer Installment Loan Act lenders, General Loan Law lenders, Short-term lenders, Small loan lenders).	Ohio Department of Commerce - Division of Financial Institutions as of 2026-09-16
Maximum legal interest rate (usury cap)	8% per annum maximum by written agreement for the general case; higher rates permitted only in specified cases (e.g., principal over $100,000, business loans, certain mortgages). Source says: "may stipulate therein for the payment of interest upon the amount thereof at any rate not exceeding eight per cent per annum payable annually" (Ohio Rev. Code 1343.01(A)). [codes.ohio.gov content retrieved via search-engine fetch of the official section; direct connections blocked from our network]	Ohio Laws (Ohio Revised Code - official state publication) as of 2026-09-16

Land, water and location for St. Clairsville

St. Clairsville covers about 2.4 square miles of land, with 0.02 square miles of water inside its boundaries (Census Gazetteer). With 4,973 residents, the land area yields roughly 2,053 people per square mile. Columbus, the largest place in Ohio, is about 111 miles from St. Clairsville. St. Clairsville has 17 larger places within a 50-mile radius. Within the same 50 miles lie 164 smaller Census places.

Steps to take before a St. Clairsville loan

For St. Clairsville's roughly 4,973 residents, these are the steps that most influence the offer:

Check all three credit reports for mistakes, because an error you fix now is a lower rate later.
Run the numbers on the personal loan calculator so you know the payment before you apply.
Shop at least three lenders and judge them on APR and total cost.
Make sure the lender appears in the Ohio regulator's licence list.
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.

What differs between St. Clairsville and the rest of Ohio is not the process but the borrower's own file, among the 4,973 people here.

Compare personal loan offers Run the numbers first

Common questions

What are my options in St. Clairsville if my credit is poor?

Borrowing is still possible, but expect a higher APR and a smaller approved amount. Lenders that accept lower scores hold statewide licences, so what is open to you in St. Clairsville is the same as anywhere in Ohio.

What loan size can I expect in St. Clairsville?

Most personal loans sit somewhere between $1,000 and $50,000, though the figure you are approved for turns on the lender, your income and your credit. Model the monthly payment first with our personal loan calculator.

Do I have to pledge anything to borrow in St. Clairsville?

For an unsecured personal loan, no — there is nothing to pledge. A secured loan, such as home equity or one secured by a vehicle, does require collateral, and default puts that asset at risk.

Does comparing loans in St. Clairsville cost me credit score points?

Not during pre-qualification, which normally uses a soft pull and leaves your score alone. Submitting a full application triggers a hard inquiry, which can trim a few points briefly.

Nearby places

Harrisville, OH — population 173
Brookside, OH — population 524
Mount Pleasant, OH — population 382
Adena, OH — population 646
New Athens, OH — population 214
Belmont, OH — population 404
Bridgeport, OH — population 1,534
Bellaire, OH — population 3,763