Does NASA pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, NASA employees rate their compensation and benefits as 4.0 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at NASA. This rating has been stable over the past 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at NASA?

86% of NASA employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated NASA 4.4 out of 5 for work life balance, 4.4 for culture and values and 4.3 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at NASA?

Intern (289) , Aerospace Engineer (125) , Engineer (101) , Astronaut (95) , Internship (76) , Software Engineer (56) , Systems Engineer (38) , Software Engineer(Internship) (37) , Mechanical Engineer (34) , Engineering Intern (31) , Research Scientist (24) , Summer Intern (23) , Contract Specialist (22) , Astrophysicist (21) , Senior Software Engineer (21)

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

"Great people and learning experiences" ((in 284 reviews)); "Work life balance is great when you don’t go through management and let HR inform them of any accommodations" ((in 100 reviews)); "This makes it easy to win the best place to work in federal government awards year after year." ((in 80 reviews)); "Good work environment and people" ((in 65 reviews)); "benefits are good and useful" ((in 63 reviews))

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

"low pay and old buildings" ((in 151 reviews)); "Government salaries are low and therefore it's hard to subsist in CA without a higher salary." ((in 56 reviews)); "Long hours and lots of talking about sending people into space." ((in 31 reviews)); "Some non performers and very poor managers." ((in 13 reviews)); "We have had 5 company changes in 6 years; but the upper management at White Sands has not changed." ((in 9 reviews))

What are employees saying about NASA layoffs in 2026?

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

Skip to content Skip to footer

Notifications

NASA

NASA reviews

4.4

86% would recommend to a friend

(1,788 total reviews)

Charles F. Bolden, Jr.

82% approve of CEO

58% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.4

Culture & values

4.4

Work/Life balance

4.3

Diversity & inclusion

4.3

Career opportunities

4.1

Senior management

4.0

Compensation and benefits

NASA has an employee rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars, based on 1,788 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an excellent working experience there. The NASA employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Gobierno y administración pública industry (3.7 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

2K reviews

5.0

Mar 13, 2016

NASA Propulsion Academy

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

You get to work on real projects that are very interesting

Cons

Principal investigators were very busy and sometimes not available to answer questions

4.0

May 27, 2014

Working for one of the coolest organizations on the planet, in a small, intimate environment.

Aerospace engineer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great work/life balance. Wonderful benefits. Laid-back work environment. Strong dedication to employee development (SELDP, MLLDP, FIRST, etc.).

Cons

Opportunities to work on flight hardware are limited. The area is a little dull for single young professionals. Top-heavy age demographic (similar challenge throughout NASA).

5.0

Apr 9, 2014

A great agency

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Fraternal, informal environment Excellent opportunities Strong agency support for programs

Cons

Congress controls funding. Headquarters can "move the goal posts" on projects

Viewing 37 - 39 of 1,788 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 NASA

Emergency Management Specialist (Direct Hire)

Multiphysics Modeling Research Positions for Materials and Processing at NASA Ames

Aerospace Engineer, AST, Aerospace Flight Systems (Direct Hire)

NASA reviews FAQs

Related searches: NASA jobs | NASA salaries | NASA benefits | NASA interviews | NASA conversations

Reviews NASA reviews

NASA

NASA reviews

Ratings by category

Ratings by demographic groups

Reviews by job title

NASA Propulsion Academy

Working for one of the coolest organizations on the planet, in a small, intimate environment.

A great agency

Top companies for "Compensation and Benefits" near you

Jobs at NASA

NASA reviews FAQs

Want the inside scoop on your own company?

Bowls

Followed companies

Job searches

Top companies for "Compensation and Benefits" near you

NASA reviews FAQs

Jobs at NASA