Paragon at a glance
- Population: a Census-estimated 565, placing it 393rd among Indiana's 565 places (Vintage 2023 subcounty estimate).
- 2020 Census base: the 2020 count put the population at 558 (US Census Bureau).
- 2020 to 2023 change: about 1.3% more residents than the 2020 Census base (US Census Bureau).
- Rank among Indiana places: 393rd-largest of 565 (US Census Bureau, Vintage 2023 estimate).
- Size percentile: ahead of around 30% of Indiana places in population terms (US Census Bureau).
- Coordinates: latitude 39.3950, longitude -86.5628 (US Census Bureau Gazetteer).
- Nearest larger cities (120-mile radius): Gosport, IN (6 mi); Martinsville, IN (7 mi); Ellettsville, IN (12 mi); Spencer, IN (13 mi); Monrovia, IN (14 mi) (US Census Bureau).
- Nearest smaller places: Stinesville, IN (8 mi); Bethany, IN (14 mi); Stilesville, IN (17 mi) (US Census Bureau estimates).
What a personal loan costs in Paragon
Most personal loans are unsecured, meaning no collateral is pledged, and they are repaid in equal installments over a fixed term.
Two loans can share an interest rate and still differ in APR once fees are counted, so compare APR; our personal loan calculator shows the difference over the full term.
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.
Before you borrow, decide what the loan is for and whether the monthly payment fits a budget you can already meet without taking on new debt.
Indiana lending rules that apply in Paragon
Where a figure is not published by the state, the row points to the source instead of guessing.
| Rule | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 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 |
How to compare offers in Paragon
Before you commit to a personal loan in Paragon, work through these steps:
- 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.