St. Marys at a glance
- Population: the Census estimates 19,537 residents, ranking 54th of 536 places in Georgia (Vintage 2023).
- 2020 Census base: 18,469 people at the 2020 Census, the baseline for the trend below (US Census Bureau).
- 2020 to 2023 change: a gain of roughly 5.8% between the 2020 count and the 2023 estimate (US Census Bureau).
- Rank among Georgia places: 54th of 536 by population (US Census Bureau, Vintage 2023).
- Size percentile: roughly 90% of places in Georgia rank below it by population (US Census Bureau).
- Coordinates: 30.7567, -81.5784 (Census Gazetteer, US Census Bureau).
- Nearest larger cities: Kingsland, GA (14 mi); Jacksonville, FL (29 mi); Jacksonville Beach, FL (35 mi); Hinesville, GA (74 mi); Palm Coast, FL (87 mi); each population is a US Census Bureau estimate.
- Smaller towns nearby: Fernandina Beach, FL (10 mi); Woodbine, GA (16 mi); Callahan, FL (20 mi) (US Census Bureau).
What a personal loan costs in St. Marys
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.
The term is the lever: extend it and the payment falls while total interest climbs; shorten it and the reverse happens.
If you are consolidating debt, the loan only helps if you stop adding to the balances it clears; otherwise the total debt grows.
Georgia lending rules that apply in St. Marys
Each row below is a Georgia rule with its publisher and the date it was retrieved.
| Rule | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Installment Loan Act rate cap | 10% per annum of the face amount of the contract (licensed installment loans) Source says: "may charge interest at a rate not to exceed 10 percent per annum of the face amount of the contract". | Georgia Department of Banking and Finance as of 2026-09-16 |
| Maximum legal interest rate (usury cap) | See the latest published figure value_text left null: Georgia's rate ceilings are set by O.C.G.A. Title 7, Chapter 4 (O.C.G.A. §§ 7-4-1 to 7-4-21); the Department of Banking and Finance does not publish the figure and the official code host could not be fetched, so no figure is asserted. | Georgia Department of Banking and Finance as of 2026-09-16 |
| Payday lending status | Prohibited (payday lending illegal in Georgia) Source says: "Payday lending is illegal in Georgia." | Georgia Department of Banking and Finance as of 2026-09-16 |
| Small-loan / installment lender licensing | Installment lender license required for loans of $3,000 or less Source says: "any entity making loans of $3,000.00 or less to individuals must be licensed with the Department as an installment lender". | Georgia Department of Banking and Finance as of 2026-09-16 |
| State lending regulator | Georgia Department of Banking and Finance (DBF) Source says: "The Non-depository division supervises mortgage lenders, mortgage brokers, and mortgage loan originators, as well as installment lenders, check cashers, and money transmitters". | Georgia Department of Banking and Finance as of 2026-09-16 |
How to compare offers in St. Marys
A few practical steps will make the process in St. Marys less costly:
- 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 Georgia using the regulator named above.
- Read the disclosure for origination fees and any prepayment penalty before you sign.