Panhandle at a glance
- Population: 2,358 (US Census Bureau, Vintage 2023 subcounty estimate), the 553rd-largest of 1,224 places in Texas.
- 2020 Census base: 2,364 people at the 2020 Census, the baseline for the trend below (US Census Bureau).
- 2020 to 2023 change: down about 0.3% from the 2020 Census base to the 2023 estimate (US Census Bureau).
- Rank among Texas places: 553rd of the state's 1,224 Census places (US Census Bureau).
- Size percentile: larger than about 55% of the Census places in Texas (US Census Bureau).
- Coordinates: latitude 35.3463, longitude -101.3805 (US Census Bureau Gazetteer).
- Nearest larger cities: Borger, TX (22 mi); Pampa, TX (27 mi); Amarillo, TX (28 mi); Canyon, TX (39 mi); Dumas, TX (48 mi), each a US Census place with its estimated population.
- Smaller places close by: White Deer, TX (13 mi); Claude, TX (17 mi); Groom, TX (18 mi) (US Census Bureau).
What a personal loan costs in Panhandle
A personal loan hands you a single sum and a repayment schedule of equal monthly installments over an agreed term.
Because the APR includes origination and finance charges, it is the honest comparison number; the personal loan calculator turns an APR and term into a monthly payment.
The term is the lever: extend it and the payment falls while total interest climbs; shorten it and the reverse happens.
A payment that strains the budget is a warning sign; a smaller loan or a little more saving time is the safer route.
Texas lending rules that apply in Panhandle
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 | 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 Panhandle
Before you share your details with a lender in Panhandle:
- 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.