Hidalgo at a glance
- Population: 14,678 — 195th in Texas, which has 1,224 Census places (US Census Bureau, Vintage 2023).
- 2020 Census base: 13,962 residents (US Census Bureau, 2020 Census).
- 2020 to 2023 change: about 5.1% growth over the 2020 Census base (US Census Bureau).
- Rank among Texas places: the 195th-largest of 1,224 (US Census Bureau, 2023 estimate).
- Size percentile: about 84% of Texas's Census places are smaller (US Census Bureau).
- Coordinates: 26.1089, -98.2462 (Census Gazetteer, US Census Bureau).
- Nearest larger cities (within 120 miles): Pharr, TX (5 mi); McAllen, TX (8 mi); San Juan, TX (8 mi); Mission, TX (8 mi); Alamo, TX (9 mi) (US Census Bureau populations).
- Nearest smaller communities: Granjeno, TX (4 mi); Palmhurst, TX (11 mi); Penitas, TX (16 mi), each a US Census place.
What a personal loan costs in Hidalgo
Unlike a revolving credit card, a personal loan is closed-end: the balance falls on a fixed schedule and the payment does not change.
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 lender weighs your credit profile, income and debts when setting the rate, and a longer term lowers the payment at the cost of more interest overall.
Shop with more than one lender and treat pre-qualification as an estimate, since the final terms follow a full application.
Texas lending rules that apply in Hidalgo
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 | Legal via licensed credit access businesses (payday/title-loan brokers); the third-party lender itself is not licensed (Tex. Fin. Code ch. 393) Source says: the credit access business that serves as the broker is the licensee in this regulated industry | Texas Office of Consumer Credit Commissioner (OCCC) as of 2026-09-16 |
| Small-loan / installment lender licensing | License required for non-depository lenders charging more than 10% interest; Chapter 342 governs consumer loans (Tex. Fin. Code § 342.051) Source says: Non-depository lenders who engage in making, transacting, or collecting loans with a rate of interest greater than 10% must be licensed by the OCCC. | Texas Office of Consumer Credit Commissioner (OCCC) as of 2026-09-16 |
| State lending regulator | Texas Office of Consumer Credit Commissioner (OCCC) Source says: The OCCC licenses and regulates non-depository lenders in the state of Texas. | Texas Office of Consumer Credit Commissioner (OCCC) as of 2026-09-16 |
| Maximum legal interest rate (usury cap) | 10% per year maximum; a greater rate is usurious unless otherwise provided by law (Tex. Fin. Code § 302.001) Source says: The maximum rate or amount of interest is 10 percent a year except as otherwise provided by law. | Texas Legislature (Texas Constitution and Statutes) as of 2026-09-16 |
How to compare offers in Hidalgo
These steps are the ones that most affect the offer you receive in Hidalgo:
- 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 Texas using the regulator named above.
- Read the disclosure for origination fees and any prepayment penalty before you sign.