Personal loans in Wilkes-Barre, PA

With 44,254 residents, Wilkes-Barre outranks about 99% of the communities in Pennsylvania. Two households in Wilkes-Barre with comparable incomes can still be offered different rates; the city's 44,254 residents are not the reason.

By the Personalloaner Editorial Team · Last updated 2026-09-16

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If debt is already a strain, a nonprofit credit counsellor can help Wilkes-Barre residents before they take on more. Rate ceilings, licensing requirements and product limits for Wilkes-Barre are all set at the Pennsylvania level. Census figures put the 2020-to-2023 decrease in Wilkes-Barre at about 0.2%. The closest larger city is Scranton, PA about 15 miles away.

Local context for Wilkes-Barre

What follows is Wilkes-Barre's place in the Census record, alongside the Pennsylvania rules that govern a personal loan made here.

Population: 44,254 people, a figure that places Wilkes-Barre 11th among the 1,013 Census places in Pennsylvania (US Census Bureau, Vintage 2023).
Population trend: A loss of roughly 0.2% between 2020 and 2023.
Net change: roughly 71 fewer people than the 2020 Census counted.
Size percentile: roughly 99% of Pennsylvania's places have fewer residents than Wilkes-Barre's 44,254.
Population density: about 6,462 people per square mile (Census land area 6.8 sq mi).
Land area: Wilkes-Barre covers 6.8 square miles, the 43rd-largest area among Pennsylvania's 1,013 places.
Water area rank: Wilkes-Barre ranks 28th among Pennsylvania's 1,013 places, with 0.35 sq mi.
State share: roughly 0.8% of Pennsylvania's residents live in Wilkes-Barre (44,254 people).
National rank: Wilkes-Barre is 904th of 19,457 places nationwide.
Growth rank: Wilkes-Barre ranks 271st among Pennsylvania's 1,013 places for the 2020-to-2023 change.
Against the state trend: Wilkes-Barre's 0.2% change compares with a Pennsylvania average of -0.9% across its 1,013 places.
Density rank: Wilkes-Barre places 60th among Pennsylvania's places by people per square mile.
Against the state median: Wilkes-Barre runs about 6,462 residents per square mile, where the Pennsylvania median is 1,990.
Location: 41.2466 / -75.8757, per the US Census Bureau Gazetteer.
Nearest larger cities: Scranton (15 mi); Allentown (50 mi); Bethlehem (50 mi); Binghamton (59 mi); Reading (63 mi). A branch is convenient; it is not what sets your APR.
Nearest smaller places: Kingston (1 mi); Edwardsville (2 mi); Forty Fort (2 mi).
Within a 50-mile radius: 171 smaller Census places.
At 100 miles: 22 larger Census places fall inside that radius.

Wilkes-Barre against the rest of Pennsylvania

Among Pennsylvania's 1,013 places, Wilkes-Barre sits at 11th for population, a share of roughly 0.8% of the state. For population change between 2020 and 2023, Wilkes-Barre ranks 271st of 1,013 in Pennsylvania (about the 73th percentile). At about 6,462 people per square mile, Wilkes-Barre is the 60th most densely settled place in Pennsylvania. By land area, its 6.8 square miles rank 43rd of 1,013 places in Pennsylvania.

How personal loans work in Wilkes-Barre

A Wilkes-Barre personal loan is an installment loan: a lump sum, then fixed monthly payments over a set term, priced off your credit rather than its 44,254 residents. A lender serving Wilkes-Barre's 44,254 residents must disclose the APR and finance charge in writing before you sign. Shortening the term on a Wilkes-Barre loan raises the monthly payment but cuts the interest; lengthening it does the reverse.

Which Pennsylvania laws govern a loan in Wilkes-Barre

This table holds the Pennsylvania rate and licensing rules for consumer loans made to Wilkes-Barre's 44,254 residents.

Rule	Detail	Source
State lending regulator	Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities (DoBS) Source says: "The Department of Banking and Securities regulates financial services in Pennsylvania."	Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities as of 2026-09-16
Small-loan / installment lender licensing	Consumer Discount Company Act license required for non-mortgage consumer loans above 6%; licensed lenders may charge up to 24% on loans of $25,000 or less. Source says: "A consumer discount company is a business corporation that negotiates or makes non-mortgage loans or advances of money on credit."	Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities as of 2026-09-16
Bank rate-cap exemption (state-specific rule)	Pennsylvania state-chartered banks are not subject to state interest-rate caps (Banking Code Sections 303/506 supersede the LIPL 6% cap). Source says: "Pennsylvania law does not impose any restrictions on the interest rate that Pennsylvania state-chartered banks may charge to customers." (DoBS interpretive letter, May 11, 2023).	Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities as of 2026-09-16

A pre-application checklist for Wilkes-Barre

A sensible order of operations for a loan in Wilkes-Barre, home to about 44,254 people:

Order your free credit reports and dispute anything inaccurate — it is the cheapest way to move the rate you are offered.
Run the numbers on the personal loan calculator so you know the payment before you apply.
Gather at least three pre-qualified offers and line up the APR, not the headline rate.
Confirm the Pennsylvania licence with the regulator named above before committing.
Look for an origination fee or prepayment penalty in the written disclosure.
Test the payment against your current bills before you commit.
Pick the shortest term whose payment you can comfortably afford.

In Wilkes-Barre as elsewhere in Pennsylvania, the written terms — not the advertisement — are what count for its 44,254 residents.

Lender access in Wilkes-Barre

At roughly 6,462 people per square mile, Wilkes-Barre is densely built; 2 larger places lie within 50 miles. Distance to a branch rarely matters for Wilkes-Barre's 44,254 residents: the application is online and the price follows your credit file. For a larger market, the closest option is Scranton, PA about 15 miles away.

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Common questions

What are my options in Wilkes-Barre if my credit is poor?

Borrowing is still possible, but expect a higher APR and a smaller approved amount. Lenders that accept lower scores hold statewide licences, so what is open to you in Wilkes-Barre is the same as anywhere in Pennsylvania.

What loan size can I expect in Wilkes-Barre?

Most personal loans sit somewhere between $1,000 and $50,000, though the figure you are approved for turns on the lender, your income and your credit. Model the monthly payment first with our personal loan calculator.

Do I have to pledge anything to borrow in Wilkes-Barre?

For an unsecured personal loan, no — there is nothing to pledge. A secured loan, such as home equity or one secured by a vehicle, does require collateral, and default puts that asset at risk.

Does comparing loans in Wilkes-Barre cost me credit score points?

Not during pre-qualification, which normally uses a soft pull and leaves your score alone. Submitting a full application triggers a hard inquiry, which can trim a few points briefly.

Nearby places

Kingston, PA — population 13,331
Forty Fort, PA — population 4,233
Edwardsville, PA — population 4,932
Pringle, PA — population 899
Laurel Run, PA — population 564
Ashley, PA — population 2,603
Luzerne, PA — population 2,723
Swoyersville, PA — population 5,030