Does FAA pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, FAA employees rate their compensation and benefits as 4.1 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at FAA. This rating has decreased by 2% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at FAA?

71% of FAA employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated FAA 3.6 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.6 for culture and values and 3.7 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at FAA?

Air Traffic Control Specialist (153) , Air Traffic Controller (122) , Airway Transportation Systems Specialist (47) , Aviation Safety Inspector (40) , Management and Program Analyst (33) , ATC Specialist (29) , Aerospace Engineer (29) , ATSS FG-2101 (28) , Intern (24) , Engineer (23) , Civil Engineer (20) , Program Manager (20) , Manager (17) , Air Traffic Controller Trainee (14) , Computer Specialist (14)

What are the pros of working at FAA according to real employee reviews?

"benefits are great and day to day work is great" ((in 204 reviews)); "Pay is good but not great unless you are a controller or have been in for a while." ((in 158 reviews)); "Great people that care about aviation and the work they do." ((in 67 reviews)); "Great work/life balance" ((in 54 reviews)); ""Job security" is great and once you know what you are supposed to do you can then explore other areas or job functions." ((in 53 reviews))

What are the cons of working at FAA according to real employee reviews?

"Management is incompetent and often take the path of least resistance to progress their own careers." ((in 56 reviews)); "Initial training could be great or it could be terrible depending on your location." ((in 21 reviews)); "bureaucracy Upper management is on their own power trip, often forget to do their actual JOB." ((in 16 reviews)); "Shift work and rotating schedules" ((in 14 reviews)); "I had seen where other reviews pointed out poor leadership caused by people being promoted due to poor performance." ((in 13 reviews))

What are employees saying about FAA layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about FAA layoffs and their outlook for job security at FAA in 2026.

FAA reviews

Compare reviews

3.8

71% would recommend to a friend

(1,455 total reviews)

Pete Buttigieg | Michael G. Whitaker | Kathryn “Katie” Thomson

68% approve of CEO

50% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.1

Compensation and benefits

3.8

Diversity & inclusion

3.7

Career opportunities

3.6

Culture & values

3.6

Work/Life balance

3.3

Senior management

FAA has an employee rating of 3.8 out of 5 stars, based on 1,455 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The FAA employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Gobierno y administración pública industry (3.6 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

1K reviews

2.0

Jan 30, 2014

Could be so much better with inspired leadership

Front line manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Generous benefit package, interesting work, cool equipment, early retirement, decent pay

Cons

Rotating shift work, poor working conditions, micromanaged from above, adversarial labor/management culture

4.0

Jan 29, 2014

Satisfactory

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Nice people and friendly environment, plenty of employee friendships, job stability, willingness to help

Cons

Employees don't seem particularly qualified. Stereotypical bureaucratic government environment

4.0

Jan 24, 2014

Well Beyond Close Enough for Government Work

Aerospace engineer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Balance between technical engineering type work and big picture regulation work. Good career advancement. Some employees (like myself) have outside industry experience and expertise. Industry takes you seriously and listens. You get to know some of the most experienced people in industry. Great benefits and the pay is not on the GS system, so you are generally paid more competitively towards industry rates. Life balance is good.

Cons

As an engineer you are not going to be doing design work. However, you are involved in the design and testing and ensuring designs meet safety requirements for a broad range of systems. Some bureaucracy, but if you are used to other fed agencies, this one is actually pretty efficient--mainly because they have the ability to bring in good people with the competitive salary scale. Can get busy, but still a fed job with fed job hours (quite fair).

Viewing 1360 - 1362 of 1,455 Reviews

Top companies for "Compensation and Benefits" near you

US Army

4.1★Compensation & Benefits

US Air Force

4.2★Compensation & Benefits

UNDP

3.7★Compensation & Benefits

US Navy

4.0★Compensation & Benefits

Jobs at FAA

Environmental Protection Specialist

Public Notice for Chemist (Direct Hire)

Public Notice for Air Traffic Control Specialist (Direct Hire)

Aviation Safety Technician

Air Traffic Control Specialist (Direct Hire Enhanced CTI Program/E-CTI)

FAA

FAA reviews

Ratings by category

Ratings by demographic groups

Reviews by job title

Could be so much better with inspired leadership

Satisfactory

Well Beyond Close Enough for Government Work

Top companies for "Compensation and Benefits" near you

Jobs at FAA

FAA reviews FAQs

Want the inside scoop on your own company?

Bowls

Followed companies

Job searches

Top companies for "Compensation and Benefits" near you

Jobs at FAA

FAA reviews FAQs