Gatesville at a glance
- Population: about 16,148, 181st by size in Texas of 1,224 places (Census Vintage 2023 subcounty estimate).
- 2020 Census base: 16,133 people (US Census Bureau, 2020 Census count).
- 2020 to 2023 change: an increase of about 0.1% since the 2020 count (US Census Bureau).
- Rank among Texas places: 181st-largest of 1,224 (US Census Bureau, Vintage 2023 estimate).
- Size percentile: ahead of around 85% of Texas places in population terms (US Census Bureau).
- Coordinates: the Census Gazetteer places it at 31.4387, -97.7460.
- Nearest larger cities: Copperas Cove, TX (24 mi); Killeen, TX (25 mi); Harker Heights, TX (27 mi); Belton, TX (31 mi); Temple, TX (31 mi) (Census populations, approximate straight-line distance).
- Smaller towns nearby: South Mountain, TX (4 mi); Oglesby, TX (14 mi); McGregor, TX (19 mi) (US Census Bureau).
What a personal loan costs in Gatesville
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.
Because the APR includes origination and finance charges, it is the honest comparison number; the personal loan calculator turns an APR and term into a monthly payment.
Because interest accrues for longer, a longer term means a lower installment and a higher total cost — decide which matters more to you.
If you are consolidating debt, the loan only helps if you stop adding to the balances it clears; otherwise the total debt grows.
Texas lending rules that apply in Gatesville
The Texas rate caps and licensing rules that reach Gatesville are listed below, each with its source and retrieval date.
| Rule | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Small-loan / installment lender licensing | License required for non-depository lenders charging more than 10% interest; Chapter 342 governs consumer loans (Tex. Fin. Code § 342.051) Source says: Non-depository lenders who engage in making, transacting, or collecting loans with a rate of interest greater than 10% must be licensed by the OCCC. | Texas Office of Consumer Credit Commissioner (OCCC) as of 2026-09-16 |
| State lending regulator | Texas Office of Consumer Credit Commissioner (OCCC) Source says: The OCCC licenses and regulates non-depository lenders in the state of Texas. | Texas Office of Consumer Credit Commissioner (OCCC) as of 2026-09-16 |
| Maximum legal interest rate (usury cap) | 10% per year maximum; a greater rate is usurious unless otherwise provided by law (Tex. Fin. Code § 302.001) Source says: The maximum rate or amount of interest is 10 percent a year except as otherwise provided by law. | Texas Legislature (Texas Constitution and Statutes) as of 2026-09-16 |
| Payday lending status | Legal via licensed credit access businesses (payday/title-loan brokers); the third-party lender itself is not licensed (Tex. Fin. Code ch. 393) Source says: the credit access business that serves as the broker is the licensee in this regulated industry | Texas Office of Consumer Credit Commissioner (OCCC) as of 2026-09-16 |
How to compare offers in Gatesville
A few practical steps will make the process in Gatesville less costly:
- 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 Texas using the regulator named above.
- Read the disclosure for origination fees and any prepayment penalty before you sign.