Elkins at a glance
- Population: 3,889 — 82nd in Arkansas, which has 500 Census places (US Census Bureau, Vintage 2023).
- 2020 Census base: 3,600 people at the 2020 Census, the baseline for the trend below (US Census Bureau).
- 2020 to 2023 change: roughly 8.0% higher than at the 2020 Census (US Census Bureau).
- Rank among Arkansas places: 82nd largest of 500 (US Census Bureau).
- Size percentile: it exceeds roughly 84% of Arkansas's Census places by population (US Census Bureau).
- Coordinates: latitude 36.0172, longitude -94.0235 (US Census Bureau Gazetteer).
- Nearest larger cities: Fayetteville, AR (9 mi); Farmington, AR (13 mi); Springdale, AR (14 mi); Prairie Grove, AR (16 mi); Tontitown, AR (16 mi) — straight-line distances, US Census Bureau populations.
- Nearest smaller towns: Goshen, AR (6 mi); Greenland, AR (9 mi); West Fork, AR (10 mi) — US Census Bureau populations.
What a personal loan costs in Elkins
A personal loan is an installment loan: you receive a lump sum and repay it in fixed monthly payments over a set term, usually two to seven years.
The advertised interest rate leaves out fees that the APR captures, which is why APR is the number to weigh; try the personal loan calculator before you apply.
Stretching the term lowers the monthly payment but raises the total interest you pay, so the smallest payment is not automatically the cheapest loan.
Set the loan amount from the expense itself rather than the maximum you are approved for, and keep the payment within your existing budget.
Arkansas lending rules that apply in Elkins
The Arkansas rate caps and licensing rules that reach Elkins are listed below, each with its source and retrieval date.
| Rule | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Small-loan / installment lender licensing | See the latest published figure value_text left null: the State Bank Department does not publish a consumer small-loan license rate schedule that could be verified; storefront payday lending has been eliminated (see Payday lending status). See the linked regulator page for the licensee categories it supervises. | Arkansas State Bank Department as of 2026-09-16 |
| State lending regulator | Arkansas State Bank Department Source says: "The Department is charged with regulating state-chartered commercial banks with main offices in Arkansas". | Arkansas State Bank Department as of 2026-09-16 |
| Maximum legal interest rate (usury cap) | 17% per annum for loans not made by or to governmental units or by federally insured depository institutions (Amendment 89, effective January 1, 2011) Source says: "shall not exceed seventeen percent (17%) per annum". | Arkansas Legislature — Arkansas Constitution, Amendment 89, § 3 (proposed by H.J.R. 1004 of 2009) as of 2026-09-16 |
| Payday lending status | Not permitted — all storefront payday lending eliminated; the Attorney General has worked to eliminate all forms of payday lending since 2008 Source says: "the Attorney General's office has worked to eliminate all forms of payday lending in Arkansas"; "all storefront payday loan operations in Arkansas have been shut down". | Arkansas Attorney General — Consumer Protection Division as of 2026-09-16 |
How to compare offers in Elkins
The steps below are worth completing first when you borrow in Elkins:
- Pull your free credit reports and dispute any error — it is the cheapest way to improve the rate you are offered.
- Run your figures through the personal loan calculator on this site so you know the payment before a lender quotes one.
- Pre-qualify with at least three lenders and compare the APR, not the interest rate.
- Check that the lender is licensed in Arkansas using the regulator named above.
- Read the disclosure for origination fees and any prepayment penalty before you sign.