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 4.4 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at NASA?

Intern (291) , Aerospace Engineer (125) , Engineer (101) , Astronaut (95) , Internship (77) , Software Engineer (58) , Systems Engineer (38) , Software Engineer(Internship) (37) , Mechanical Engineer (35) , Engineering Intern (31) , Research Scientist (24) , Summer Intern (23) , Contract Specialist (22) , Astrophysicist (21) , Pathways Intern (21)

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

"Great people and learning experiences" ((in 280 reviews)); "Work life balance is great when you don’t go through management and let HR inform them of any accommodations" ((in 93 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 69 reviews)); "Good work environment and people" ((in 67 reviews))

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

"low pay and old buildings" ((in 146 reviews)); "Government salaries are low and therefore it's hard to subsist in CA without a higher salary." ((in 55 reviews)); "Long hours and lots of talking about sending people into space." ((in 31 reviews)); "no management pretty much do what u want" ((in 30 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.

NASA reviews

4.4

86% would recommend to a friend

(1,796 total reviews)

Charles F. Bolden, Jr.

83% approve of CEO

61% positive business outlook

Company ratings over time

Ratings trend for the last 6 months (1,796 reviews)

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

NASA has an employee rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars, based on 1,796 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).

Reviews by job title

2K reviews

5.0

Mar 15, 2018

Wonderful people

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great people, great opportunities to learn.

Cons

None to note. I enjoyed my time.

5.0

Mar 12, 2018

Systems Engineer

Systems engineer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Good Salary and Vacation Package and benefits

Cons

Long work hours and some lazy people

2.0

Mar 7, 2018

NASA contracted position at White Sands

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Everyone knows NASA is cool, so it must be.

Cons

We have had 5 company changes in 6 years; but the upper management at White Sands has not changed. That management has enjoyed their personal "little kingdom" under NASA supervision the entire time, while the employees at the site have been treated very poorly. Management has no care whatsoever for employee's quality of life, in fact employees are seen simply as numbers, not people. There have been lawsuits, NLRB charges, DOL charges, IG complaints, uncountable ethical violations, and unions brought in; the companies continue to change but upper management stays in power. It is an extremely immoral place to work.

Viewing 1312 - 1314 of 1,796 Reviews

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