Dunkirk at a glance
- Population: 2,098, the 198th-largest community in Indiana out of 565 (US Census Bureau, Vintage 2023).
- 2020 Census base: 2,160 residents (US Census Bureau, 2020 Census).
- 2020 to 2023 change: down about 2.9% from the 2020 Census base to the 2023 estimate (US Census Bureau).
- Rank among Indiana places: 198th of the state's 565 Census places (US Census Bureau).
- Size percentile: about 65% of places in Indiana are smaller (US Census Bureau).
- Coordinates: it sits at 40.3743, -85.2082 in the US Census Bureau Gazetteer.
- Nearest larger cities: Albany, IN (5 mi); Hartford City, IN (10 mi); Portland, IN (13 mi); Muncie, IN (16 mi); Upland, IN (17 mi); US Census Bureau population estimates.
- Nearest smaller towns: Redkey, IN (3 mi); Eaton, IN (8 mi); Pennville, IN (9 mi) (US Census Bureau).
What a personal loan costs in Dunkirk
A personal loan is structured as an installment plan, with a set number of monthly payments and a fixed amount due each time.
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.
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.
Indiana lending rules that apply in Dunkirk
The Indiana rate caps and licensing rules that reach Dunkirk are listed below, each with its source and retrieval date.
| Rule | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 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 |
How to compare offers in Dunkirk
The steps below are worth completing first when you borrow in Dunkirk:
- 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.