Personal loans in Madison, AL
Which products a lender may offer to Madison's 60,854 residents follows from the Alabama consumer-lending framework.
Two households in Madison with comparable incomes can still be offered different rates; the city's 60,854 residents are not the reason. About 60,854 people live in Madison, placing it 9th of 462 Census places in Alabama. Population in Madison climbed about 6.8% over the three years from 2020 to 2023. Pull your credit reports and line up at least three offers before you apply from Madison. The closest larger place is Huntsville, AL about 5 miles away.
Madison: population, trend and location
Here is the sourced Census picture for Madison, plus the Alabama lending rules that apply to a loan taken out here.
- Population: an estimated 60,854 residents, 9th of 462 places in Alabama (Census Vintage 2023 subcounty estimate).
- Population trend: Higher by roughly 6.8% since the 2020 count.
- Net change: roughly 3,886 more people than the 2020 Census counted.
- Size percentile: bigger than about 98% of the places in Alabama, with 60,854 residents in Madison.
- Land and density: 30.6 square miles of land carry roughly 1,990 residents per square mile.
- Land area: Madison covers 30.6 square miles, the 33rd-largest area among Alabama's 462 places.
- Water: Madison holds about 0.13 square miles, the 98th-largest water area in Alabama.
- Within Alabama: about 1.9% of the state's population lives in Madison.
- National rank: Madison is the 633rd most populous of the 19,457 Census places covered here.
- Growth in Alabama: Madison stands 44th by percentage change from 2020 to 2023, among 462 places.
- State comparison: Alabama's places average +1.0% for 2020-to-2023, against Madison's 6.8%.
- Density in Alabama: Madison ranks 4th by people per square mile.
- Density in context: Madison's 1,990 people per square mile sit against a Alabama median of 259.
- Location: 34.7105 / -86.7623, per the US Census Bureau Gazetteer.
- Nearest larger cities: Huntsville (5 mi); Murfreesboro (81 mi); Birmingham (82 mi); Franklin (83 mi); Chattanooga (89 mi). Larger metros often have more branches, but online lenders reach Madison on the same terms.
- Nearest smaller towns: Triana (9 mi); Mooresville (9 mi); Athens (12 mi).
- Within a 50-mile radius: 75 smaller Census places.
- Larger places within 100 miles: 6.
The geography behind Madison
Inside Madison's boundaries lie roughly 30.6 square miles of land and 0.13 square miles of water. Spread across it are roughly 1,990 residents per square mile. The state's population centre of gravity, Huntsville, is roughly 5 miles away. Madison has 1 larger places within a 50-mile radius. By land area it ranks 33rd of 462 Alabama places.
The Madison borrowing checklist
A sensible order of operations for a loan in Madison, home to about 60,854 people:
- Pull your credit reports first and correct any error before a lender sees the file.
- Test your amount and term in the personal loan calculator first.
- Pre-qualify with three or more lenders, then compare the APR rather than the interest rate.
- Confirm the Alabama licence with the regulator named above before committing.
- Read the disclosure for an origination fee and any prepayment penalty before signing.
- Test the payment against your current bills before you commit.
- Choose a term you can live with; stretching it lowers the payment but raises total interest.
In Madison as elsewhere in Alabama, the written terms — not the advertisement — are what count for its 60,854 residents.
How Madison compares across Alabama
Madison is the 9th-largest of 462 Census places in Alabama and contains about 1.9% of the state's people. On the 2020-to-2023 trend, Madison stands 44th among Alabama's 462 places — roughly the 90th percentile. By density, at about 1,990 people per square mile, it ranks 4th in Alabama. By land area, its 30.6 square miles rank 33rd of 462 places in Alabama.
Alabama rules behind a Madison personal loan
Every row below records a Alabama rule, its publisher and its retrieval date — the same rules a Madison lender must follow.
| Rule | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| State lending regulator | Alabama State Banking Department — Bureau of Loans (BOL) Source says: "The Bureau of Loans (hereinafter “the BOL”) was established in 1945". The BOL administers the Small Loan Act, Consumer Credit Act, Pawn Shop Act, Mortgage Brokers Licensing Act, Deferred Presentment Services Act and SAFE Act. | Alabama State Banking Department as of 2026-09-16 |
| Payday lending status | Permitted — deferred presentment services licensed by the supervisor; maximum advance $500; maximum fee 17.5% of amount advanced Source says: "a maximum fee on any deferred presentment transaction not to exceed 17.5 percent of the amount advanced"; "The maximum amount that may be advanced in any deferred presentment transaction is five hundred dollars ($500)". | Alabama State Banking Department — Deferred Presentment Services Act (Code of Alabama §§ 5-18A-1 et seq.) as of 2026-09-16 |
| Small-loan / installment lender licensing | Alabama Small Loan Act license required from the supervisor for loans under $1,500; interest capped at 3% per month on the first $200 and 2% per month on $200–$1,500 Source says: "No person shall engage in the business of lending in amounts of less than one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500)"; "without first having obtained a license from the supervisor"; "not exceeding three percent a month on that part of the unpaid principal balance not in excess of two hundred dollars". | Alabama State Banking Department — Alabama Small Loan Act (Code of Alabama §§ 5-18-1 et seq.) as of 2026-09-16 |
Inside a Madison personal loan
Most loans made to Madison's 60,854 residents are unsecured, so nothing is pledged and the lender relies on your credit history. Federal Truth in Lending rules require a Madison lender to disclose the APR and finance charge before you sign. A longer term lowers the monthly payment on a Madison loan but raises total interest, so the smallest payment is not the cheapest loan.
Common questions
What are my options in Madison if my credit is poor?
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Does comparing loans in Madison cost me credit score points?
Nearby places
- Huntsville, AL — population 225,564
- Triana, AL — population 4,456
- Mooresville, AL — population 48
- Athens, AL — population 30,904
- Priceville, AL — population 3,800
- Somerville, AL — population 817
- Decatur, AL — population 58,321
- Ardmore, AL — population 1,421