Gateway at a glance
- Population: 444 — 276th in Arkansas, which has 500 Census places (US Census Bureau, Vintage 2023).
- 2020 Census base: 436 people counted in the 2020 Census (US Census Bureau).
- 2020 to 2023 change: a gain of roughly 1.8% between the 2020 count and the 2023 estimate (US Census Bureau).
- Rank among Arkansas places: 276th largest of 500 (US Census Bureau).
- Size percentile: roughly 45% of Arkansas's places have fewer residents (US Census Bureau).
- Coordinates: 36.4889, -93.9331 (US Census Bureau Gazetteer).
- Nearest larger cities: Seligman, MO (2 mi); Garfield, AR (3 mi); Avoca, AR (10 mi); Holiday Island, AR (11 mi); Pea Ridge, AR (11 mi) — straight-line distances, US Census Bureau populations.
- Nearest smaller places: Washburn, MO (7 mi); Beaver, AR (9 mi); Chain-O-Lakes, MO (12 mi) (US Census Bureau estimates).
What a personal loan costs in Gateway
Personal loans are closed-end installment debt, so the monthly payment and the payoff date are known from the start.
Judge an offer by its APR, which blends the interest rate with fees, and use the personal loan calculator to see the total cost.
A longer repayment period spreads the cost and increases the interest paid, so compare total cost, not just the monthly figure.
Before you borrow, decide what the loan is for and whether the monthly payment fits a budget you can already meet without taking on new debt.
Arkansas lending rules that apply in Gateway
The table carries the Arkansas rate and licensing rules that apply to consumer loans made in Gateway.
| Rule | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Small-loan / installment lender licensing | See the latest published figure value_text left null: the State Bank Department does not publish a consumer small-loan license rate schedule that could be verified; storefront payday lending has been eliminated (see Payday lending status). See the linked regulator page for the licensee categories it supervises. | Arkansas State Bank Department as of 2026-09-16 |
| State lending regulator | Arkansas State Bank Department Source says: "The Department is charged with regulating state-chartered commercial banks with main offices in Arkansas". | Arkansas State Bank Department as of 2026-09-16 |
| Maximum legal interest rate (usury cap) | 17% per annum for loans not made by or to governmental units or by federally insured depository institutions (Amendment 89, effective January 1, 2011) Source says: "shall not exceed seventeen percent (17%) per annum". | Arkansas Legislature — Arkansas Constitution, Amendment 89, § 3 (proposed by H.J.R. 1004 of 2009) as of 2026-09-16 |
| Payday lending status | Not permitted — all storefront payday lending eliminated; the Attorney General has worked to eliminate all forms of payday lending since 2008 Source says: "the Attorney General's office has worked to eliminate all forms of payday lending in Arkansas"; "all storefront payday loan operations in Arkansas have been shut down". | Arkansas Attorney General — Consumer Protection Division as of 2026-09-16 |
How to compare offers in Gateway
These steps are the ones that most affect the offer you receive in Gateway:
- 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 Arkansas using the regulator named above.
- Read the disclosure for origination fees and any prepayment penalty before you sign.