Rusk at a glance
- Population: 5,362 — 363rd in Texas, which has 1,224 Census places (US Census Bureau, Vintage 2023).
- 2020 Census base: the 2020 Census recorded 5,282 residents here (US Census Bureau).
- 2020 to 2023 change: up roughly 1.5% across the 2020-to-2023 comparison (US Census Bureau).
- Rank among Texas places: the 363rd-largest of 1,224 (US Census Bureau, 2023 estimate).
- Size percentile: it is larger than about 70% of the places in Texas (US Census Bureau).
- Coordinates: the Census Gazetteer places it at 31.7978, -95.1488.
- Nearest larger cities (within 120 miles): Jacksonville, TX (13 mi); Palestine, TX (29 mi); Whitehouse, TX (30 mi); Nacogdoches, TX (32 mi); Henderson, TX (32 mi) (US Census Bureau populations).
- Nearest smaller communities: Gallatin, TX (7 mi); Reklaw, TX (11 mi); Alto, TX (11 mi), each a US Census place.
What a personal loan costs in Rusk
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.
Two loans can share an interest rate and still differ in APR once fees are counted, so compare APR; our personal loan calculator shows the difference over the full term.
Because interest accrues for longer, a longer term means a lower installment and a higher total cost — decide which matters more to you.
A useful rule is to keep the new payment inside the room your budget already has, so the loan eases pressure instead of adding to it.
Texas lending rules that apply in Rusk
Every figure in the table below is sourced to a publisher with a date; where a state does not publish a number, we say so rather than estimate.
| Rule | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 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 |
How to compare offers in Rusk
The order below is a sensible way to approach a loan in Rusk:
- 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.