Personal loans in Homewood, IL
With 18,540 residents, Homewood outranks about 90% of the communities in Illinois. Homewood counts about 18,540 people, and what is genuinely local about borrowing here is limited — Illinois law does the governing.
Rate-shopping from Homewood costs nothing at pre-qualification, where a soft pull leaves your credit file alone. Consumer lending that reaches Homewood's 18,540 residents is governed by Illinois statute; no city ordinance changes it. Homewood shed about 4.7% of its population between the 2020 base and the 2023 estimate. The closest larger city is Harvey, IL about 3 miles away.
What the Census records for Homewood
The figures below are Homewood's own — Census population, land area and coordinates — followed by the Illinois rules.
- Population: the Census counts 18,540 residents in Homewood (Vintage 2023 subcounty estimate), the 132nd-largest figure among Illinois's 1,294 places.
- Population trend: A drop of about 4.7% from 2020 to 2023.
- People gained or lost: about 912 fewer since the 2020 base.
- Size percentile: roughly 90% of Illinois's places have fewer residents than Homewood's 18,540.
- Population density: about 3,554 people per square mile (Census land area 5.2 sq mi).
- Land area: Homewood covers 5.2 square miles, the 252nd-largest area among Illinois's 1,294 places.
- Water area: Homewood has 0.05 square miles of water, ranking 301st of 1,294 places in Illinois.
- Within Illinois: about 0.2% of the state's population lives in Homewood.
- National rank: Homewood is 2,010th of 19,457 places nationwide.
- Growth in Illinois: Homewood stands 1,231st by percentage change from 2020 to 2023, among 1,294 places.
- Against the state trend: Homewood's 4.7% change compares with a Illinois average of -2.0% across its 1,294 places.
- Density in Illinois: Homewood ranks 96th by people per square mile.
- Density in context: Homewood's 3,554 people per square mile sit against a Illinois median of 993.
- Location: latitude 41.5594, longitude -87.6620 (Census Gazetteer).
- Nearest larger cities: Harvey (3 mi); Chicago Heights (4 mi); South Holland (4 mi); Park Forest (6 mi); Oak Forest (6 mi). Lenders licensed in the state serve Homewood whether or not they keep a local branch.
- Nearest smaller places: East Hazel Crest (1 mi); Hazel Crest (2 mi); Flossmoor (2 mi).
- Smaller places within 50 miles: 199 of them.
- Within 100 miles: 141 places are larger than Homewood.
A pre-application checklist for Homewood
For Homewood's roughly 18,540 residents, these are the steps that most influence the offer:
- Get your credit reports, dispute what is wrong, and only then start shopping.
- Price the payment first with our personal loan calculator before any lender quotes you.
- Shop at least three lenders and judge them on APR and total cost.
- Make sure the lender appears in the Illinois regulator's licence list.
- Keep the amount to the expense; an approval is not a reason to take more.
- Decide the purpose and how you will repay it before approaching any lender.
- If the balances are already a strain, seek nonprofit credit counselling before adding a loan.
None of these steps is Homewood-specific: the same Illinois licensing and disclosure rules reach all 18,540 residents.
Which Illinois laws govern a loan in Homewood
These are Illinois's sourced lending facts as they reach Homewood's 18,540 residents; the state has no city-level rate rule.
| Rule | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| State lending regulator | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), Division of Financial Institutions Source says: "DFI licenses, charters, and examines a wide variety of financial products and services including: Consumer and Sales Finance and Collection Agencies". | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation as of 2026-09-16 |
| Small-loan / installment lender licensing | Consumer Installment Loan Act license required from the Director of Financial Institutions (loans above 9% APR) Source says: "No person ... shall engage in the business of making loans of money ... except ... after first obtaining a license from the Director of Financial Institutions". | Illinois General Assembly (Illinois Compiled Statutes) as of 2026-09-16 |
| Installment lender net-worth requirement | $30,000 minimum positive net worth (plus $25,000 surety bond) Source says: "every applicant shall prove ... that the applicant has and will maintain a positive net worth of a minimum of $30,000". | Illinois General Assembly (Illinois Compiled Statutes) as of 2026-09-16 |
Homewood on the map
Homewood's land area is about 5.2 square miles; a further 0.05 square miles is water. That land carries about 3,554 people per square mile. The largest place in Illinois, Chicago, lies about 19 miles away. A 50-mile radius around Homewood takes in 100 places that are larger. Within the same 50 miles lie 199 smaller Census places.
How lenders reach Homewood
Homewood is a fairly dense community of about 18,540 people, with 100 larger places inside a 50-mile radius. Whether Homewood has a local branch or not, a Illinois-licensed lender can serve its 18,540 people online on the same terms. The nearest larger city, Harvey, IL about 3 miles away.
The anatomy of a Homewood personal loan
Most loans made to Homewood's 18,540 residents are unsecured, so nothing is pledged and the lender relies on your credit history. Federal Truth in Lending rules require a Homewood lender to disclose the APR and finance charge before you sign. Because the payment is fixed, the total cost of a Homewood loan is knowable in advance — unlike a revolving card balance.
Common questions
What are my options in Homewood if my credit is poor?
What loan size can I expect in Homewood?
Do I have to pledge anything to borrow in Homewood?
Does comparing loans in Homewood cost me credit score points?
Nearby places
- East Hazel Crest, IL — population 1,232
- Hazel Crest, IL — population 12,771
- Flossmoor, IL — population 9,252
- Thornton, IL — population 2,273
- Olympia Fields, IL — population 4,530
- Harvey, IL — population 19,397
- Markham, IL — population 11,129
- Glenwood, IL — population 8,268