Hope at a glance
- Population: about 2,144 residents, ranking 195th of 565 Census places in Indiana (US Census Bureau, Vintage 2023 subcounty estimate).
- 2020 Census base: 2,098 people counted in the 2020 Census (US Census Bureau).
- 2020 to 2023 change: an increase of about 2.2% since the 2020 count (US Census Bureau).
- Rank among Indiana places: 195th largest of 565 (US Census Bureau).
- Size percentile: it is larger than about 65% of the places in Indiana (US Census Bureau).
- Coordinates: it sits at 39.2993, -85.7660 in the US Census Bureau Gazetteer.
- Nearest larger cities: Columbus, IN (10 mi); Edinburgh, IN (11 mi); Greensburg, IN (15 mi); Shelbyville, IN (17 mi); Franklin, IN (20 mi); each population is a US Census Bureau estimate.
- Nearest smaller towns: Hartsville, IN (4 mi); Clifford, IN (6 mi); St. Paul, IN (12 mi) — US Census Bureau populations.
What a personal loan costs in Hope
The defining feature of a personal loan is the fixed installment: the same payment every month until the term ends.
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.
Because interest accrues for longer, a longer term means a lower installment and a higher total cost — decide which matters more to you.
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 Hope
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 Hope
A few practical steps will make the process in Hope 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 Indiana using the regulator named above.
- Read the disclosure for origination fees and any prepayment penalty before you sign.