Protection at a glance
- Population: 487 — 274th in Kansas, which has 625 Census places (US Census Bureau, Vintage 2023).
- 2020 Census base: 497 people at the 2020 Census, the baseline for the trend below (US Census Bureau).
- 2020 to 2023 change: a decline of roughly 2.0% between the 2020 count and the 2023 estimate (US Census Bureau).
- Rank among Kansas places: 274th-largest of 625 (US Census Bureau, Vintage 2023 estimate).
- Size percentile: it exceeds roughly 56% of Kansas's Census places by population (US Census Bureau).
- Coordinates: 37.2004, -99.4808 (US Census Bureau Gazetteer).
- Nearest larger cities: Coldwater, KS (10 mi); Ashland, KS (16 mi); Bucklin, KS (25 mi); Buffalo, OK (27 mi); Greensburg, KS (30 mi); US Census Bureau population estimates.
- Nearest smaller communities: Wilmore, KS (18 mi); Mullinville, KS (27 mi); Englewood, KS (30 mi), each a US Census place.
What a personal loan costs in Protection
The defining feature of a personal loan is the fixed installment: the same payment every month until the term ends.
Compare offers on APR rather than the headline rate — the APR includes most fees, and you can model the total with our personal loan calculator.
Choosing a longer term eases the monthly budget but adds interest over the life of the loan; a shorter term costs more per month and less overall.
If you are consolidating debt, the loan only helps if you stop adding to the balances it clears; otherwise the total debt grows.
Kansas lending rules that apply in Protection
The table lists the Kansas rules that apply to a loan made in Protection, each with the regulator that published it.
| Rule | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum legal interest rate (usury cap) | 15% per annum (general contract-rate ceiling for written instruments) Source says: "may stipulate therein for interest receivable ... at a rate not to exceed 15% per annum unless otherwise specifically authorized by law". | Kansas Office of the Revisor of Statutes as of 2026-09-16 |
| Payday lending status | Permitted under license (payday cash advances of $500 or less; charge capped at 15%) Source says: "a licensed or supervised lender may charge an amount not to exceed 15% of the amount of the cash advance". | Kansas Office of the Revisor of Statutes as of 2026-09-16 |
| Small-loan / installment lender licensing | Supervised lender license required (supervised loans) Source says: "Unless a person is exempt from licensing ... such person shall not engage in the business of: (a) Making supervised loans". | Kansas Office of the Revisor of Statutes as of 2026-09-16 |
| State lending regulator | Kansas Office of the State Bank Commissioner (OSBC) Source says: "The Office of the State Bank Commissioner regulates all state-chartered banks, trust companies, mortgage businesses, supervised lenders, credit service organizations, earned wage access service providers, and money transmitters". | Kansas Office of the State Bank Commissioner as of 2026-09-16 |
| UCCC consumer loan rate caps | 36% on first $860 of unpaid balance; 21% above $860 (closed-end consumer loans) Source says: "36% on the unpaid principal balance which is $860 or less, and 21% on the unpaid principal balance which exceeds $860". | Kansas Office of the State Bank Commissioner as of 2026-09-16 |
How to compare offers in Protection
The steps below are worth completing first when you borrow in Protection:
- 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 Kansas using the regulator named above.
- Read the disclosure for origination fees and any prepayment penalty before you sign.