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 97 reviews)); "This makes it easy to win the best place to work in federal government awards year after year." ((in 82 reviews)); "benefits are good and useful" ((in 67 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 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 31 reviews)); "Long hours and lots of talking about sending people into space." ((in 30 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.

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

5.0

Dec 20, 2016

Aerospace Engineer

Aerospace engineer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Interesting problems, wide range of science, space and aeronautic projects

Cons

things don't move as fast as they could

5.0

Dec 18, 2016

Assistant

Research assistant

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

The pros of being an assistant at the University of Tennessee and NASA was the immersion in a learning environment that allowed for growth and continual problem solving, as well as, the diversity of subject matter experts, peers and professionals to work with.

Cons

The cons of working as an assistant at the University of Tennessee and NASA were the time limit on projects, stress levels that a challenging environment can bring and the competitiveness that can arise from expected high quality performance levels in the workplace.

3.0

Dec 14, 2016

Work Environment

Linux systems administrator

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great place to learn new skills

Cons

I wish that people will become more friendly to minorities

Viewing 1411 - 1413 of 1,794 Reviews

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