Salem at a glance
- Population: about 6,437, 104th by size in Indiana of 565 places (Census Vintage 2023 subcounty estimate).
- 2020 Census base: 6,528 residents at the 2020 Census (US Census Bureau, 2020 count).
- 2020 to 2023 change: down about 1.4% from the 2020 Census base to the 2023 estimate (US Census Bureau).
- Rank among Indiana places: 104th in population of 565 places (US Census Bureau).
- Size percentile: about 82% of places in Indiana are smaller (US Census Bureau).
- Coordinates: latitude 38.6046, longitude -86.0975 (US Census Bureau Gazetteer).
- Nearest larger cities (120-mile radius): Scottsburg, IN (18 mi); Sellersburg, IN (22 mi); New Albany, IN (25 mi); Charlestown, IN (26 mi); Seymour, IN (26 mi) (US Census Bureau).
- Nearest smaller places: New Pekin, IN (8 mi); Campbellsburg, IN (10 mi); Livonia, IN (10 mi) (US Census Bureau estimates).
What a personal loan costs in Salem
A personal loan hands you a single sum and a repayment schedule of equal monthly installments over an agreed term.
Judge an offer by its APR, which blends the interest rate with fees, and use the personal loan calculator to see the total cost.
Your credit, income and existing debts drive the rate a lender offers, while the term you pick sets how much interest builds on top.
A useful rule is to keep the new payment inside the room your budget already has, so the loan eases pressure instead of adding to it.
Indiana lending rules that apply in Salem
Where a figure is not published by the state, the row points to the source instead of guessing.
| Rule | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 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 |
How to compare offers in Salem
Here is a short checklist for comparing personal loans in Salem:
- 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.