Watauga at a glance
- Population: a Census-estimated 22,934, placing it 139th among Texas's 1,224 places (Vintage 2023 subcounty estimate).
- 2020 Census base: 23,657 residents in the 2020 Census, per the US Census Bureau.
- 2020 to 2023 change: a decline of roughly 3.1% between the 2020 count and the 2023 estimate (US Census Bureau).
- Rank among Texas places: 139th by size among 1,224 communities (US Census Bureau).
- Size percentile: about 89% of Texas's Census places are smaller (US Census Bureau).
- Coordinates: 32.8718 / -97.2515, per the US Census Bureau Gazetteer.
- Nearest larger cities: North Richland Hills, TX (2 mi); Haltom City, TX (4 mi); Keller, TX (5 mi); Hurst, TX (5 mi); Colleyville, TX (6 mi) (Census populations, approximate straight-line distance).
- Smaller places nearby: Richland Hills, TX (4 mi); Blue Mound, TX (5 mi); Haslet, TX (8 mi), per US Census Bureau estimates.
What a personal loan costs in Watauga
Personal loans are closed-end installment debt, so the monthly payment and the payoff date are known from the start.
Judge an offer by its APR, which blends the interest rate with fees, and use the personal loan calculator to see the total cost.
Stretching the term lowers the monthly payment but raises the total interest you pay, so the smallest payment is not automatically the cheapest loan.
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.
Texas lending rules that apply in Watauga
Each row below is a Texas rule with its publisher and the date it was retrieved.
| Rule | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| State lending regulator | Texas Office of Consumer Credit Commissioner (OCCC) Source says: The OCCC licenses and regulates non-depository lenders in the state of Texas. | Texas Office of Consumer Credit Commissioner (OCCC) as of 2026-09-16 |
| Maximum legal interest rate (usury cap) | 10% per year maximum; a greater rate is usurious unless otherwise provided by law (Tex. Fin. Code § 302.001) Source says: The maximum rate or amount of interest is 10 percent a year except as otherwise provided by law. | Texas Legislature (Texas Constitution and Statutes) as of 2026-09-16 |
| Payday lending status | Legal via licensed credit access businesses (payday/title-loan brokers); the third-party lender itself is not licensed (Tex. Fin. Code ch. 393) Source says: the credit access business that serves as the broker is the licensee in this regulated industry | Texas Office of Consumer Credit Commissioner (OCCC) as of 2026-09-16 |
| Small-loan / installment lender licensing | License required for non-depository lenders charging more than 10% interest; Chapter 342 governs consumer loans (Tex. Fin. Code § 342.051) Source says: Non-depository lenders who engage in making, transacting, or collecting loans with a rate of interest greater than 10% must be licensed by the OCCC. | Texas Office of Consumer Credit Commissioner (OCCC) as of 2026-09-16 |
How to compare offers in Watauga
These steps are the ones that most affect the offer you receive in Watauga:
- 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 Texas using the regulator named above.
- Read the disclosure for origination fees and any prepayment penalty before you sign.