Personal loans in Salem, OR

Roughly 177,432 residents live in Salem, the 3rd-largest community in Oregon. A larger market lies at Portland, OR about 46 miles away. For the 177,432 people in Salem, Oregon runs its own consumer-lending licensing, and the sourced table below lists the figures that apply. If debt is already a strain, a nonprofit credit counsellor can help Salem residents before they take on more.

Salem by the numbers

Most of what governs a Salem loan is written in Oregon law rather than in the city; the sourced notes below make that split concrete.

• Population: the Census counts 177,432 residents in Salem (Vintage 2023 subcounty estimate), the 3rd-largest figure among Oregon's 240 places.
• Population trend: About 1.1% above the 2020 Census base.
• Change in people: the 2020-to-2023 comparison is a gain of about 1,954 residents.
• Size percentile: about 99% of Oregon communities are smaller than Salem (177,432 residents).
• Population density: about 3,625 people per square mile (Census land area 48.9 sq mi).
• Land area rank: Salem's 48.9 square miles rank 2nd of 240 places in Oregon.
• Water: Salem holds about 0.55 square miles, the 18th-largest water area in Oregon.
• Share of state population: Salem's 177,432 residents are about 5.9% of Oregon.
• National rank: Salem sits 145th by population among the 19,457 places in this dataset.
• Growth rank: Salem's 2020-to-2023 change ranks 84th of 240 places in Oregon.
• Versus Oregon: the state average change is +0.7%, while Salem moved 1.1%.
• Density in Oregon: Salem ranks 34th by people per square mile.
• Against the state median: Salem runs about 3,625 residents per square mile, where the Oregon median is 1,575.
• Location: it lies at 44.9239, -123.0230 in the Census Gazetteer.
• Nearest larger cities: Portland (46 mi); Vancouver (53 mi); Eugene (60 mi). Online lenders reach Salem no matter how far the nearest branch is.
• Smaller communities close by: Keizer (5 mi); Turner (6 mi); Aumsville (9 mi), each with its own Census population profile.
• Smaller places within 50 miles: 81 of them.
• Larger places within 100 miles: 3.

Salem in state context

Among Oregon's 240 places, Salem sits at 3rd for population, a share of roughly 5.9% of the state. On the 2020-to-2023 trend, Salem stands 84th among Oregon's 240 places — roughly the 65th percentile. Its roughly 3,625 residents per square mile place it 34th among Oregon's places. The population moved by about 1,954 people between 2020 and 2023, a 1.1% shift.

What a Salem borrower is actually offered

With roughly 177,432 residents, Salem is a sizable city; its personal loans are typically unsecured, priced from your credit rather than the city's size. Federal Truth in Lending rules require a Salem lender to disclose the APR and finance charge before you sign. A longer term lowers the monthly payment on a Salem loan but raises total interest, so the smallest payment is not the cheapest loan.

The geography behind Salem

Salem covers about 48.9 square miles of land, with 0.55 square miles of water inside its boundaries (Census Gazetteer). The resulting density is about 3,625 people per square mile. Portland, the largest place in Oregon, is about 46 miles from Salem. Salem has 1 larger places within a 50-mile radius. The 100-mile radius contains 3 larger places.

Which Oregon laws govern a loan in Salem

Read the table as a lender's compliance picture for Salem: the rule, the sourced figure, the publisher and the date.

A pre-application checklist for Salem

Complete these steps first when you borrow in Salem (177,432 residents):

1. Pull your credit reports first and correct any error before a lender sees the file.
2. Run the numbers on the personal loan calculator so you know the payment before you apply.
3. Get several pre-qualifications and compare APR side by side before choosing.
4. Make sure the lender appears in the Oregon regulator's licence list.
5. Check the disclosure for fees that raise the true cost above the quoted rate.
6. Make sure the new payment leaves room in a budget you already keep.
7. Choose a term you can live with; stretching it lowers the payment but raises total interest.

None of these steps is Salem-specific: the same Oregon licensing and disclosure rules reach all 177,432 residents.