Personal loans in Clifton, TN
Clifton is one of 344 Census places in Tennessee; its 2,257 residents put it at 159th. Census figures put the 2020-to-2023 decrease in Clifton at about 15.1%. With roughly 2,257 residents, Clifton is a small community, and the lending rules its borrowers live under are written in Tennessee, not by the city. State law, not city hall, decides what a lender may do to Clifton's roughly 2,257 residents, and a state regulator supervises it. For a community of about 2,257, the practical step is to compare APR across at least three lenders before committing. Borrowers who want a bigger city can look to Waynesboro, TN about 14 miles away.
Local context for Clifton
Here is the sourced Census picture for Clifton, plus the Tennessee lending rules that apply to a loan taken out here.
- Population: an estimated 2,257 residents, 159th of 344 places in Tennessee (Census Vintage 2023 subcounty estimate).
- Population trend: Lower by roughly 15.1% since the 2020 count.
- People gained or lost: about 400 fewer since the 2020 base.
- Size percentile: about 54% of Tennessee communities are smaller than Clifton (2,257 residents).
- Population density: about 406 people per square mile across 5.6 square miles of land (Census Gazetteer area, Vintage 2023 population).
- By land area: Clifton ranks 152nd among Tennessee's 344 places, at 5.6 sq mi.
- Water area: Clifton has 0.57 square miles of water, ranking 19th of 344 places in Tennessee.
- State population share: Clifton accounts for about 0.1% of everyone in Tennessee.
- National rank: Clifton sits 7,200th by population among the 19,457 places in this dataset.
- Growth rank: Clifton ranks 344th among Tennessee's 344 places for the 2020-to-2023 change.
- State comparison: Tennessee's places average +2.4% for 2020-to-2023, against Clifton's 15.1%.
- Density in Tennessee: Clifton ranks 226th by people per square mile.
- Against the state median: Clifton runs about 406 residents per square mile, where the Tennessee median is 553.
- Location: 35.3773 / -87.9912, per the US Census Bureau Gazetteer.
- Nearest larger cities: Waynesboro (14 mi); Savannah (17 mi); Adamsville (24 mi); Hohenwald (27 mi); Lexington (28 mi). Any of them may have more branches, but statewide rules and your credit still set the price.
- Nearest smaller towns: Saltillo (15 mi); Decaturville (16 mi); Sardis (17 mi).
- Smaller places within 50 miles: 37 of them.
- Larger places within 100 miles: 102.
The Clifton borrowing checklist
These steps shape the offer you get in Clifton, a place of about 2,257 people:
- Order your free credit reports and dispute anything inaccurate — it is the cheapest way to move the rate you are offered.
- Model the payment on the calculator before a lender models it for you.
- Pre-qualify with three or more lenders, then compare the APR rather than the interest rate.
- Look the lender up in the Tennessee regulator's licence records before you sign.
- If debt is already a struggle, talk to a nonprofit credit counsellor before borrowing more.
- Read the disclosure for an origination fee and any prepayment penalty before signing.
- Make sure the new payment leaves room in a budget you already keep.
What differs between Clifton and the rest of Tennessee is not the process but the borrower's own file, among the 2,257 people here.
The Tennessee lending rules that reach Clifton
When Tennessee does not publish a figure, the row links to the source instead of inventing a number; Clifton is bound by the same rules.
| Rule | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| State lending regulator | Tennessee Department of Financial Institutions (TDFI) Source says: The Department regulates banks, credit unions, trust companies, business and industrial development corporations, industrial loan and thrift companies | Tennessee Department of Financial Institutions (TDFI) as of 2026-09-16 |
| Small-loan / installment lender licensing | TDFI Compliance Division licenses industrial loan & thrift companies, deferred presentment companies, flexible credit companies, and other consumer lenders Source says: The Compliance Division is responsible for the licensing and regulatory supervision of the following types of financial institutions operating in Tennessee | Tennessee Department of Financial Institutions (TDFI) as of 2026-09-16 |
| Maximum legal interest rate (usury cap) | 10.75% per annum (maximum effective formula rate for written contracts, announced September 15, 2026) Source says: the maximum effective formula rate of interest in Tennessee is 10.75 percent per annum | Tennessee Department of Financial Institutions (TDFI) as of 2026-09-16 |
How lenders reach Clifton
Clifton is a lightly settled community of about 2,257 people, with 18 larger places inside a 50-mile radius. A Tennessee licence lets a lender serve Clifton without a local office, so branch density does not change what its 2,257 residents are offered. For a larger market, the closest option is Waynesboro, TN about 14 miles away.
Clifton: area, density and distance
Clifton covers about 5.6 square miles of land, with 0.57 square miles of water inside its boundaries (Census Gazetteer). With 2,257 residents, the land area yields roughly 406 people per square mile. The largest place in Tennessee, Memphis, lies about 113 miles away. Clifton has 18 larger places within a 50-mile radius. The 100-mile radius contains 102 larger places.
Clifton in state context
Against Tennessee's other places, Clifton accounts for about 0.1% of the state's population and ranks 159th of 344 by size. Its 2020-to-2023 change ranks 344th of 344 Tennessee places, putting it near the 0th percentile for growth. By density, at about 406 people per square mile, it ranks 226th in Tennessee. The population moved by about 400 people between 2020 and 2023, a 15.1% shift.
Common questions
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Nearby places
- Waynesboro, TN — population 2,319
- Decaturville, TN — population 805
- Saltillo, TN — population 424
- Linden, TN — population 1,093
- Savannah, TN — population 7,311
- Scotts Hill, TN — population 885
- Parsons, TN — population 2,112
- Sardis, TN — population 416