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 (290) , 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 287 reviews)); "Work life balance is great when you don’t go through management and let HR inform them of any accommodations" ((in 96 reviews)); "This makes it easy to win the best place to work in federal government awards year after year." ((in 81 reviews)); "Great Benefits and retirement plan" ((in 70 reviews)); "Good work environment and people" ((in 63 reviews))

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

"low pay and old buildings" ((in 145 reviews)); "Government salaries are low and therefore it's hard to subsist in CA without a higher salary." ((in 62 reviews)); "Long hours and lots of talking about sending people into space." ((in 32 reviews)); "there are no cons, very good management" ((in 31 reviews)); "Some non performers and very poor managers." ((in 12 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.

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NASA

NASA reviews

4.4

86% would recommend to a friend

(1,789 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 1,789 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

Nov 1, 2025

Overview

Division chief

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Good, best place to work in the federal govt

Cons

Slow to change, living in the past

5.0

Oct 29, 2025

The best people I know, doing hard jobs

Aerospace engineer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Literally everyone in my org of >50 people is both competent and pleasant to work with - I've never experienced that in other jobs. My supervisors are incredible, supportive people. I can see and be reminded on a regular basis how my work helps humankind and inspires future generations. Maxi-flex hours. Good vacation time benefits.

Cons

Federal politics. Not having enough people or Congressional funding for the work. Pressure from the top and external sources to meet unrealistic deadlines. Currently inflexible about work location.

3.0

Oct 25, 2025

The best and the worst

Mechanical engineer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

You get to work on some really cool projects and some really smart people.

Cons

Bureaucracy. Almost every project can be cancelled due to politicians. The only way to get promoted is to go into management which creates a lot of managers all telling the people who do the work different things. Projects drag on forever.

Viewing 55 - 57 of 1,789 Reviews

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