Kilgore at a glance
- Population: roughly 13,523 people; 205th of 1,224 places in Texas (Census Vintage 2023 subcounty estimate).
- 2020 Census base: 13,375 people at the 2020 Census, the baseline for the trend below (US Census Bureau).
- 2020 to 2023 change: about 1.1% growth over the 2020 Census base (US Census Bureau).
- Rank among Texas places: 205th-largest of 1,224 (US Census Bureau, Vintage 2023 estimate).
- Size percentile: about 83% of places in Texas are smaller (US Census Bureau).
- Coordinates: 32.3967 / -94.8600, per the US Census Bureau Gazetteer.
- Nearest larger cities: Longview, TX (10 mi); Tyler, TX (27 mi); Marshall, TX (31 mi); Jacksonville, TX (38 mi); Mount Pleasant, TX (53 mi) (Census populations, approximate straight-line distance).
- Nearest smaller communities: Lakeport, TX (9 mi); White Oak, TX (9 mi); New London, TX (10 mi), each a US Census place.
What a personal loan costs in Kilgore
The defining feature of a personal loan is the fixed installment: the same payment every month until the term ends.
Judge an offer by its APR, which blends the interest rate with fees, and use the personal loan calculator to see the total cost.
The term is the lever: extend it and the payment falls while total interest climbs; shorten it and the reverse happens.
Set the loan amount from the expense itself rather than the maximum you are approved for, and keep the payment within your existing budget.
Texas lending rules that apply in Kilgore
The table lists the Texas rules that apply to a loan made in Kilgore, each with the regulator that published it.
| Rule | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 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 |
How to compare offers in Kilgore
The order below is a sensible way to approach a loan in Kilgore:
- 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.