Houston at a glance
- Population: 148 — 408th in Arkansas, which has 500 Census places (US Census Bureau, Vintage 2023).
- 2020 Census base: the 2020 Census recorded 145 residents here (US Census Bureau).
- 2020 to 2023 change: about 2.1% more residents than the 2020 Census base (US Census Bureau).
- Rank among Arkansas places: 408th of 500 by population (US Census Bureau, Vintage 2023).
- Size percentile: ahead of around 18% of Arkansas places in population terms (US Census Bureau).
- Coordinates: 35.0349, -92.6945 (US Census Bureau Gazetteer).
- Nearest larger cities (within 120 miles): Bigelow, AR (4 mi); Perry, AR (6 mi); Perryville, AR (6 mi); Oppelo, AR (6 mi); Morrilton, AR (9 mi) (US Census Bureau populations).
- Nearest smaller towns: Fourche, AR (5 mi); Adona, AR (12 mi); Casa, AR (20 mi) (US Census Bureau).
What a personal loan costs in Houston
A personal loan is structured as an installment plan, with a set number of monthly payments and a fixed amount due each time.
The number to compare is the APR, not the interest rate, because the APR folds in origination fees and other charges; our personal loan calculator will show what a given amount and term would cost.
The term is the lever: extend it and the payment falls while total interest climbs; shorten it and the reverse happens.
Shop with more than one lender and treat pre-qualification as an estimate, since the final terms follow a full application.
Arkansas lending rules that apply in Houston
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Houston
These steps are the ones that most affect the offer you receive in Houston:
- 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.