FirstCash, Inc. was founded and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, operating as the leading international pawn shop chain. The company has grown to operate more than 3,300 retail pawn and consumer lending locations across 29 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, plus international presence in the United Kingdom and throughout Latin America including Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, and El Salvador. With approximately 22,000 employees globally, FirstCash is publicly traded and included in the S&P MidCap 400 Index and Russell 2000 Index.
FirstCash's core service is providing small non-recourse pawn loans secured by pledged personal property, meaning borrowers pledge items of value (jewelry, electronics, tools, musical instruments, sporting goods, appliances) as collateral for cash loans. The company also buys and sells merchandise directly, operates a gold/precious metals buying service, and offers layaway services with 10% down payments. Additionally, through its wholly-owned subsidiary AFF, FirstCash provides lease-to-own and retail finance solutions through over 15,000 merchant partner locations nationwide.
FirstCash distinguishes itself through its massive geographic scale and international reach compared to independent pawn shops, offering consistency and professional operations across thousands of locations. The company explicitly targets cash and credit-constrained consumers who need immediate liquidity with eligibility claims to verify or the complications of traditional lending. Their multi-service model (lending, retail sales, gold buying, layaway) provides multiple financial solutions under one brand.
As a pawn lender, FirstCash serves consumers in genuine financial emergencies but operates in a traditionally high-cost lending category. Borrowers should understand that pawn loans involve forfeiting collateral if unpaid, and the company's lending terms and interest rates are not detailed on their public website. While legitimately convenient for short-term cash needs, pawn loans should be considered a last resort before traditional emergency lending or personal loans.