Cairo at a glance
- Population: 502 (US Census Bureau, Vintage 2023 subcounty estimate), the 665th-largest of 924 places in Ohio.
- 2020 Census base: 513 residents (US Census Bureau, 2020 Census).
- 2020 to 2023 change: down roughly 2.1% across the 2020-to-2023 comparison (US Census Bureau).
- Rank among Ohio places: 665th largest of 924 (US Census Bureau).
- Size percentile: about 28% of places in Ohio are smaller (US Census Bureau).
- Coordinates: 40.8308 / -84.0845, per the US Census Bureau Gazetteer.
- Nearest larger cities: Columbus Grove, OH (6 mi); Lima, OH (6 mi); Elida, OH (7 mi); Pandora, OH (10 mi); Bluffton, OH (11 mi) (Census populations, approximate straight-line distance).
- Nearest smaller towns: Beaverdam, OH (6 mi); Lafayette, OH (9 mi); Harrod, OH (12 mi) (US Census Bureau).
What a personal loan costs in Cairo
Unlike a revolving credit card, a personal loan is closed-end: the balance falls on a fixed schedule and the payment does not change.
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.
Lenders weigh your credit history, income and debts when they set the rate, and the term you choose then determines how that rate compounds into total cost.
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.
Ohio lending rules that apply in Cairo
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum legal interest rate (usury cap) | 8% per annum maximum by written agreement for the general case; higher rates permitted only in specified cases (e.g., principal over $100,000, business loans, certain mortgages). Source says: "may stipulate therein for the payment of interest upon the amount thereof at any rate not exceeding eight per cent per annum payable annually" (Ohio Rev. Code 1343.01(A)). [codes.ohio.gov content retrieved via search-engine fetch of the official section; direct connections blocked from our network] | Ohio Laws (Ohio Revised Code - official state publication) as of 2026-09-16 |
| Payday lending status | Legal for licensed short-term lenders; interest capped at 28% per annum; total fees and charges capped at 60% of the originally contracted loan amount. Source says: "(A) Interest not exceeding a rate of twenty-eight per cent per annum" (Ohio Rev. Code 1321.40); total fees/charges capped at "a total amount of fees and charges that exceeds sixty per cent of the originally contracted loan amount" (1321.403). | Ohio Laws (Ohio Revised Code - official state publication) as of 2026-09-16 |
| Small-loan / installment lender licensing | Consumer finance licenses required for non-depository lenders, including Consumer Installment Loan Act lenders, General Loan Law lenders, short-term lenders, and small loan lenders. Source says: "We issue and manage licenses for companies and individuals under multiple Ohio statutes." (page's regulated-statutes list names Consumer Installment Loan Act lenders, General Loan Law lenders, Short-term lenders, Small loan lenders). | Ohio Department of Commerce - Division of Financial Institutions as of 2026-09-16 |
| State lending regulator | Ohio Department of Commerce, Division of Financial Institutions (Consumer Finance Section). Source says: "The Consumer Finance Section is responsible for regulating non-depository consumer lenders and related consumer finance businesses." | Ohio Department of Commerce - Division of Financial Institutions as of 2026-09-16 |
How to compare offers in Cairo
Here is a short checklist for comparing personal loans in Cairo:
- 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 Ohio using the regulator named above.
- Read the disclosure for origination fees and any prepayment penalty before you sign.