Charleston at a glance
- Population: roughly 895 people; 244th of 344 places in Tennessee (Census Vintage 2023 subcounty estimate).
- 2020 Census base: the 2020 count put the population at 876 (US Census Bureau).
- 2020 to 2023 change: roughly 2.2% higher than at the 2020 Census (US Census Bureau).
- Rank among Tennessee places: 244th of the state's 344 Census places (US Census Bureau).
- Size percentile: about 29% of Tennessee's Census places are smaller (US Census Bureau).
- Coordinates: 35.2857 latitude, -84.7608 longitude (US Census Bureau Gazetteer).
- Nearest larger cities: Cleveland, TN (10 mi); Benton, TN (10 mi); Etowah, TN (14 mi); Athens, TN (15 mi); Decatur, TN (17 mi), each a US Census place with its estimated population.
- Nearest smaller communities: Calhoun, TN (2 mi); Niota, TN (20 mi); Cohutta, GA (26 mi), each a US Census place.
What a personal loan costs in Charleston
A personal loan gives you the full amount at once and spreads repayment over a set number of months at a fixed payment.
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.
The term is the lever: extend it and the payment falls while total interest climbs; shorten it and the reverse happens.
Shop with more than one lender and treat pre-qualification as an estimate, since the final terms follow a full application.
Tennessee lending rules that apply in Charleston
The Tennessee rate caps and licensing rules that reach Charleston are listed below, each with its source and retrieval date.
| Rule | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| State lending regulator | Tennessee Department of Financial Institutions (TDFI) Source says: The Department regulates banks, credit unions, trust companies, business and industrial development corporations, industrial loan and thrift companies | Tennessee Department of Financial Institutions (TDFI) as of 2026-09-16 |
| Maximum legal interest rate (usury cap) | 10.75% per annum (maximum effective formula rate for written contracts, announced September 15, 2026) Source says: the maximum effective formula rate of interest in Tennessee is 10.75 percent per annum | Tennessee Department of Financial Institutions (TDFI) as of 2026-09-16 |
| Payday lending status | Licensed; deferred presentment services (payday) lenders must obtain a TDFI license, including internet lenders (Tenn. Code Ann. § 45-17-103) Source says: deferred presentment services in this state through the use of the internet, facsimile, telephone, or other means without having first obtained a license | Tennessee Department of Financial Institutions (TDFI) as of 2026-09-16 |
| Small-loan / installment lender licensing | TDFI Compliance Division licenses industrial loan & thrift companies, deferred presentment companies, flexible credit companies, and other consumer lenders Source says: The Compliance Division is responsible for the licensing and regulatory supervision of the following types of financial institutions operating in Tennessee | Tennessee Department of Financial Institutions (TDFI) as of 2026-09-16 |
How to compare offers in Charleston
A few practical steps will make the process in Charleston 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 Tennessee using the regulator named above.
- Read the disclosure for origination fees and any prepayment penalty before you sign.