Does NASA pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, NASA employees rate their compensation and benefits as 4.1 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 (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 284 reviews)); "Work life balance is great when you don’t go through management and let HR inform them of any accommodations" ((in 98 reviews)); "This makes it easy to win the best place to work in federal government awards year after year." ((in 82 reviews)); "Great Benefits and retirement plan" ((in 71 reviews)); "Good work environment and people" ((in 66 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 57 reviews)); "Long hours and lots of talking about sending people into space." ((in 32 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

(1,794 total reviews)

Charles F. Bolden, Jr.

83% approve of CEO

60% positive business outlook

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 1,794 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

3.0

Mar 26, 2017

Out of this world job

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

One of the most unique job experiences in the world, working with world-class talent.

Cons

Work-life balance can work against you.

5.0

Mar 22, 2017

Best Government Agency Ever!

Outreach specialist

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Flexible schedule, friendly people, comfortable environment, understanding people, surrounded by intelligence every day, projects that are changing the world are an every day thing

Cons

the commute that everyone has by living in the area

5.0

Mar 15, 2017

Exciting Work

Senior cost analyst

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Work with brilliant engineers and scientists on revolutionary science missions & new technology.

Cons

Affecting change in processes and policy can be difficult due to the size of the organization and number of moving parts.

Viewing 1387 - 1389 of 1,794 Reviews

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Out of this world job

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