Whelen Springs at a glance
- Population: 44 — 496th in Arkansas, which has 500 Census places (US Census Bureau, Vintage 2023).
- 2020 Census base: 44 residents at the 2020 Census (US Census Bureau, 2020 count).
- 2020 to 2023 change: roughly unchanged from the 2020 Census base (US Census Bureau).
- Rank among Arkansas places: 496th of the state's 500 Census places (US Census Bureau).
- Size percentile: ahead of around 1% of Arkansas places in population terms (US Census Bureau).
- Coordinates: 33.8331, -93.1260 (US Census Bureau Gazetteer).
- Nearest larger cities (120-mile radius): Gurdon, AR (6 mi); Bluff City, AR (7 mi); Chidester, AR (11 mi); Prescott, AR (15 mi); Cale, AR (15 mi) (US Census Bureau).
- Nearest smaller communities: McNab, AR (42 mi) (Census populations).
What a personal loan costs in Whelen Springs
Most personal loans are unsecured, meaning no collateral is pledged, and they are repaid in equal installments over a fixed term.
The APR is the comparable price of a loan since it folds in fees; model any offer with the personal loan calculator first.
A longer term reduces what you owe each month and increases the total interest, which is the trade-off to weigh before choosing one.
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.
Arkansas lending rules that apply in Whelen Springs
The Arkansas rate caps and licensing rules that reach Whelen Springs are listed below, each with its source and retrieval date.
| Rule | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Payday lending status | Not permitted — all storefront payday lending eliminated; the Attorney General has worked to eliminate all forms of payday lending since 2008 Source says: "the Attorney General's office has worked to eliminate all forms of payday lending in Arkansas"; "all storefront payday loan operations in Arkansas have been shut down". | Arkansas Attorney General — Consumer Protection Division as of 2026-09-16 |
| Small-loan / installment lender licensing | See the latest published figure value_text left null: the State Bank Department does not publish a consumer small-loan license rate schedule that could be verified; storefront payday lending has been eliminated (see Payday lending status). See the linked regulator page for the licensee categories it supervises. | Arkansas State Bank Department as of 2026-09-16 |
| State lending regulator | Arkansas State Bank Department Source says: "The Department is charged with regulating state-chartered commercial banks with main offices in Arkansas". | Arkansas State Bank Department as of 2026-09-16 |
| Maximum legal interest rate (usury cap) | 17% per annum for loans not made by or to governmental units or by federally insured depository institutions (Amendment 89, effective January 1, 2011) Source says: "shall not exceed seventeen percent (17%) per annum". | Arkansas Legislature — Arkansas Constitution, Amendment 89, § 3 (proposed by H.J.R. 1004 of 2009) as of 2026-09-16 |
How to compare offers in Whelen Springs
The order below is a sensible way to approach a loan in Whelen Springs:
- 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 Arkansas using the regulator named above.
- Read the disclosure for origination fees and any prepayment penalty before you sign.