Dayton at a glance
- Population: a Census-estimated 1,358, placing it 261st among Indiana's 565 places (Vintage 2023 subcounty estimate).
- 2020 Census base: 1,329 people at the 2020 Census, the baseline for the trend below (US Census Bureau).
- 2020 to 2023 change: population rose about 2.2% (US Census Bureau Vintage 2023 estimate vs 2020 Census).
- Rank among Indiana places: 261st in population of 565 places (US Census Bureau).
- Size percentile: larger than about 54% of the Census places in Indiana (US Census Bureau).
- Coordinates: 40.3752 / -86.7740, per the US Census Bureau Gazetteer.
- Nearest larger cities: Lafayette, IN (5 mi); West Lafayette, IN (9 mi); Rossville, IN (10 mi); Battle Ground, IN (10 mi); Shadeland, IN (10 mi) — straight-line distances, US Census Bureau populations.
- Nearest smaller communities: Mulberry, IN (6 mi); Clarks Hill, IN (9 mi); Colfax, IN (14 mi) (Census populations).
What a personal loan costs in Dayton
A personal loan hands you a single sum and a repayment schedule of equal monthly installments over an agreed term.
APR is the figure that lets you compare like with like, since it wraps fees into the rate; run your own numbers with the personal loan calculator.
Stretching the term lowers the monthly payment but raises the total interest you pay, so the smallest payment is not automatically the cheapest loan.
Most lenders offer pre-qualification with a soft credit pull, so you can see an estimated rate and amount without affecting your credit score.
Indiana lending rules that apply in Dayton
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 | 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 |
| 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 |
How to compare offers in Dayton
Before you commit to a personal loan in Dayton, work through these steps:
- 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.