Santa Claus at a glance
- Population: the Census estimates 2,609 residents, ranking 169th of 565 places in Indiana (Vintage 2023).
- 2020 Census base: 2,591 people (US Census Bureau, 2020 Census count).
- 2020 to 2023 change: a gain of roughly 0.7% between the 2020 count and the 2023 estimate (US Census Bureau).
- Rank among Indiana places: 169th-largest of 565 (US Census Bureau, Vintage 2023 estimate).
- Size percentile: ahead of around 70% of Indiana places in population terms (US Census Bureau).
- Coordinates: 38.1161, -86.9272 (US Census Bureau Gazetteer).
- Nearest larger cities (120-mile radius): Huntingburg, IN (13 mi); Tell City, IN (15 mi); Jasper, IN (19 mi); Boonville, IN (20 mi); Chandler, IN (25 mi) (US Census Bureau).
- Smaller places nearby: Dale, IN (5 mi); Gentryville, IN (6 mi); Ferdinand, IN (8 mi), per US Census Bureau estimates.
What a personal loan costs in Santa Claus
A personal loan is structured as an installment plan, with a set number of monthly payments and a fixed amount due each time.
Compare offers on APR rather than the headline rate — the APR includes most fees, and you can model the total with our personal loan calculator.
Because interest accrues for longer, a longer term means a lower installment and a higher total cost — decide which matters more to you.
A payment that strains the budget is a warning sign; a smaller loan or a little more saving time is the safer route.
Indiana lending rules that apply in Santa Claus
The sourced rows below are the rules a licensed lender must follow when lending in Indiana, and therefore in Santa Claus.
| Rule | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Small-loan / installment lender licensing | Small Loan License required (IUCCC; separate Consumer Loan License for IC 24-4.5-3 loans) Source says: "unless a person is a supervised financial organization or has first obtained a small loan license from the Department of Financial Institutions (DFI)". | Indiana Department of Financial Institutions as of 2026-09-16 |
| State lending regulator | Indiana Department of Financial Institutions (DFI), Consumer Credit Division Source says: "The industries regulated by the Consumer Credit Division are: non-depository small loan ("payday") lenders; traditional installment lenders". | Indiana Department of Financial Institutions as of 2026-09-16 |
| Small-loan size limit | $825 maximum aggregate small-loan principal per borrower Source says: "Lenders cannot have loans ... outstanding with you at any one time if the aggregate principal amount/amount financed exceeds $825". | Indiana Department of Financial Institutions as of 2026-09-16 |
| Maximum legal interest rate (usury cap) | See the latest published figure value_text left null: Indiana Code IC 24-4.5-3-508 sets tiered maximum loan finance charges for supervised loans; the official code site renders client-side and the figure could not be confirmed from a fetched page, so no figure is asserted. | Indiana General Assembly (Indiana Code) as of 2026-09-16 |
| Payday lending status | Permitted under license (small loans); finance charges capped at 15% of the first $250 (tiered above) Source says: "Finance charges on the first $250 of a small loan are limited to 15% of the principal". | Indiana Department of Financial Institutions as of 2026-09-16 |
How to compare offers in Santa Claus
The steps below are worth completing first when you borrow in Santa Claus:
- 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 Indiana using the regulator named above.
- Read the disclosure for origination fees and any prepayment penalty before you sign.