Walterboro at a glance
- Population: 5,475 people, the 61st-largest place among South Carolina's 271 Census places (US Census Bureau, Vintage 2023).
- 2020 Census base: 5,523 residents at the 2020 Census (US Census Bureau, 2020 count).
- 2020 to 2023 change: down about 0.9% from the 2020 Census base to the 2023 estimate (US Census Bureau).
- Rank among South Carolina places: 61st of the state's 271 Census places (US Census Bureau).
- Size percentile: roughly 77% of South Carolina's places have fewer residents (US Census Bureau).
- Coordinates: 32.9013, -80.6762 (Census Gazetteer, US Census Bureau).
- Nearest larger cities: Summerville, SC (30 mi); Beaufort, SC (31 mi); North Charleston, SC (35 mi); Port Royal, SC (38 mi); Hanahan, SC (39 mi); US Census Bureau population estimates.
- Nearest smaller communities: Cottageville, SC (12 mi); Williams, SC (13 mi); Smoaks, SC (15 mi) (Census populations).
What a personal loan costs in Walterboro
Personal loans are installment credit — one lump sum, repaid in equal monthly installments across a fixed term you agree to up front.
The advertised interest rate leaves out fees that the APR captures, which is why APR is the number to weigh; try the personal loan calculator before you apply.
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.
South Carolina lending rules that apply in Walterboro
Read the table as the compliance picture for a lender serving Walterboro: label, sourced figure, publisher and date.
| Rule | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Payday lending status | Legal for licensed deferred presentment providers; max $550 advanced at one time; fee limited to 15% of principal; term up to 31 days; 2025 repeal bill S.379 introduced but not enacted. Source says: "The total amount advanced by a licensee to any customer at one time for deferred presentment or deposit may not exceed five hundred fifty dollars" (34-39-180(B)); fees capped at "fifteen percent of the principal amount of the transaction" (34-39-180(E)). | South Carolina Legislature (S.C. Code of Laws) as of 2026-09-16 |
| Small-loan / installment lender licensing | Consumer Finance Division licenses and regulates companies making consumer loans with APRs exceeding 12% (Title 37 Consumer Protection Code; Consumer Finance Act, Title 34, ch. 29). Source says: "The Consumer Finance Division (CFD) licenses and regulates the business activities of all companies... that make consumer loans which have annual percentage rates exceeding 12%." | South Carolina State Board of Financial Institutions - Consumer Finance Division as of 2026-09-16 |
| State lending regulator | South Carolina State Board of Financial Institutions - Consumer Finance Division (Office of the Commissioner of Consumer Finance) Source says: "South Carolina State Board of Financial Institutions Office of the Commissioner of Consumer Finance" (site heading). | South Carolina State Board of Financial Institutions - Consumer Finance Division as of 2026-09-16 |
| Supervised loan threshold (state-specific rule) | Consumer loans with a finance charge above 12%/year are "supervised loans" requiring licensed supervised lenders; supervised lenders may charge up to 18% per year on unpaid balances. Source says: "Supervised loan means a consumer loan in which the rate of the loan finance charge exceeds twelve percent per year" (37-3-301); "eighteen percent per year on the unpaid balances of principal" (37-3-201(2)(c)). | South Carolina Legislature (S.C. Code of Laws) as of 2026-09-16 |
| Maximum legal interest rate (usury cap) | 8.75% per annum statutory legal rate where no rate is agreed (judgment rate: Wall Street Journal prime + 4 points). Source says: "the legal interest shall be at the rate of eight and three-fourths percent per annum" (S.C. Code 34-31-20(A)). | South Carolina Legislature (S.C. Code of Laws) as of 2026-09-16 |
How to compare offers in Walterboro
A few practical steps will make the process in Walterboro 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 South Carolina using the regulator named above.
- Read the disclosure for origination fees and any prepayment penalty before you sign.