FirstCash, Inc. is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas and operates as the leading international pawn store chain with over 3,300 retail locations spanning 29 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, the United Kingdom, and Latin America (including all Mexican states and Guatemala, Colombia, and El Salvador). The company employs approximately 22,000 people and is listed in both the S&P MidCap 400 Index and Russell 2000 Index, indicating its scale as a publicly traded enterprise in the consumer lending space.
FirstCash's core business model focuses on serving cash and credit-constrained consumers through pawn loans—non-recourse loans secured by pledged personal property. Beyond lending, the company operates a retail marketplace where it buys and sells a wide variety of merchandise including jewelry, electronics, tools, appliances, sporting goods, and musical instruments. FirstCash also offers layaway services (10% down payment plans), gold and precious metal buying services, and through its subsidiary AFF, lease-to-own and retail finance payment solutions across 15,000+ merchant partner locations nationwide.
What distinguishes FirstCash is its scale and geographic reach as an international operator rather than a regional player. The company's dual focus on both pawn lending and retail merchandise sales creates a more diverse revenue model than single-service pawn shops. The integration of technology-driven payment solutions through AFF represents an expansion beyond traditional pawn operations into broader consumer finance infrastructure.
For consumers, FirstCash provides immediate cash access through pawn loans without credit checks or income verification requirements, making it accessible to those excluded from traditional lending. However, pawn loans carry the inherent risk of losing pledged items if loans aren't repaid, and interest rates and fees on pawn loans, while not disclosed on the website, are typically higher than traditional personal loans. The retail component means not all items can be pawned, and loan amounts depend on merchandise valuation rather than creditworthiness.