Alamo at a glance
- Population: 20,460, the 148th-largest community in Texas out of 1,224 (US Census Bureau, Vintage 2023).
- 2020 Census base: the 2020 Census recorded 19,512 residents here (US Census Bureau).
- 2020 to 2023 change: up roughly 4.9% across the 2020-to-2023 comparison (US Census Bureau).
- Rank among Texas places: 148th of the state's 1,224 Census places (US Census Bureau).
- Size percentile: larger than about 88% of the Census places in Texas (US Census Bureau).
- Coordinates: 26.1810 latitude, -98.1175 longitude (US Census Bureau Gazetteer).
- Nearest larger cities: San Juan, TX (2 mi); Pharr, TX (5 mi); Weslaco, TX (8 mi); McAllen, TX (9 mi); Edinburg, TX (10 mi) — straight-line distances, US Census Bureau populations.
- Nearest smaller towns: Donna, TX (5 mi); Hidalgo, TX (9 mi); Elsa, TX (11 mi) (US Census Bureau).
What a personal loan costs in Alamo
A personal loan gives you the full amount at once and spreads repayment over a set number of months at a fixed payment.
Judge an offer by its APR, which blends the interest rate with fees, and use the personal loan calculator to see the total cost.
Stretching the term lowers the monthly payment but raises the total interest you pay, so the smallest payment is not automatically the cheapest loan.
A payment that strains the budget is a warning sign; a smaller loan or a little more saving time is the safer route.
Texas lending rules that apply in Alamo
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Alamo
The steps below are worth completing first when you borrow in Alamo:
- 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.