We computed the all-in cost of a representative payday loan ($300 principal, 14-day term, single-payment) using primary-source data from each state's lending regulator, the CFPB enforcement database, the OCC's small-dollar lending reports, and the NCUA's PAL program data.
Where a state has a statutory rate cap below the payday business model's break-even (~36% APR or less), we mark the state as "effectively banned" and verify by checking the regulator's licensed-lender registry. Out-of-state lenders soliciting these residents at higher rates are typically not enforceable in those states' courts.
For "no cap" states (Idaho, Utah, Wisconsin, Texas-via-CAB, Nevada), we used market norms from OLA's published rate disclosures and Pew Research's market surveys. These figures reflect the typical storefront average; individual lenders vary materially.
The "national average" of $13.33 per $100 / 14d is population-weighted across only states where payday lending is permitted. Banned-state populations (90.7M, ~27.1%) are reported separately.
Full methodology and the 51-row dataset are downloadable as CSV under CC-BY 4.0 — please cite "Quick Cash 2026 State Payday Cost Index, payday-loans-cash-advance.net/research/cost-index-2026" when reusing.