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 (77) , Software Engineer (56) , Systems Engineer (38) , Software Engineer(Internship) (37) , Mechanical Engineer (35) , 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 282 reviews)); "Work life balance is great when you don’t go through management and let HR inform them of any accommodations" ((in 99 reviews)); "This makes it easy to win the best place to work in federal government awards year after year." ((in 81 reviews)); "The work that we do also provides great benefit to life here on Earth." ((in 67 reviews)); "Good work environment and people" ((in 62 reviews))

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

"low pay and old buildings" ((in 149 reviews)); "Government salaries are low and therefore it's hard to subsist in CA without a higher salary." ((in 58 reviews)); "there are no cons, very good management" ((in 30 reviews)); "Long hours and lots of talking about sending people into space." ((in 29 reviews)); "Some non performers and very poor managers." ((in 13 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

(1,790 total reviews)

Charles F. Bolden, Jr.

83% approve of CEO

59% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.4

Culture & values

4.4

Work/Life balance

4.3

Diversity & inclusion

4.3

Career opportunities

4.2

Senior management

4.0

Compensation and benefits

NASA has an employee rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars, based on 1,790 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

Jan 16, 2014

Great learning experience and exciting work.

Aerospace engineer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Rapid advancement, job security, and great leave package.

Cons

Promotions are not always based on performance. Raises are in the hands of Congress and the President.

5.0

Jan 6, 2014

My experience with the company has been a great one, many opportunities for advancement

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

many opportunities in the engineering department

Cons

not much room for advancement on the Administrative side of things

4.0

Jan 3, 2014

NASA is a great place to learn from the best.

Robotics engineer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Amazing coworkers who are brilliant and will not step on others to get ahead People here really love space and exploration.. like kids in a candy store. Getting to work on missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond Lots of opportunities to learn new skills

Cons

Doesn't compete well with other silicon valley companies in terms of perks. You don't get exposure to the commercial world which tends to be faster paced. The projects you work on depend a lot on the politicians in power at the time.

Viewing 91 - 93 of 1,790 Reviews

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Great learning experience and exciting work.

My experience with the company has been a great one, many opportunities for advancement

NASA is a great place to learn from the best.

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