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

Company ratings over time

Ratings trend for the last 6 months (1,794 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 1,794 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

5.0

Jan 30, 2017

best job

Astronaut

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

high pay rate and friendly co-workers

Cons

the bathrooms need to upgrade

4.0

Jan 27, 2017

Aerospace Engineer

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Plenty of Interesting and challenging problems to tackle, fair amount of autonomy, one of a kind test facilities, plus opportunities to work on real flight missions or influence FAA decisions, plus you get to say you work for NASA.

Cons

Up against bureaucracy and a fair amount of paperwork, some facilities/buildings are dated, no typical silicon valley perks (free food, etc), limited to the government pay scale (not necessarily completely adjusted for cost of living in CA).

4.0

Jan 25, 2017

Fulfilling

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Fulfilling when you have a project with active funding Low stress, except around deadlines

Cons

Can be boring when not active on a project or funding gets pulled

Viewing 1399 - 1401 of 1,794 Reviews

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NASA

NASA reviews

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best job

Aerospace Engineer

Fulfilling

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