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 284 reviews)); "Work life balance is great when you don’t go through management and let HR inform them of any accommodations" ((in 92 reviews)); "This makes it easy to win the best place to work in federal government awards year after year." ((in 81 reviews)); "Good work environment and people" ((in 63 reviews)); "benefits are good and useful" ((in 63 reviews))

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

"low pay and old buildings" ((in 144 reviews)); "Government salaries are low and therefore it's hard to subsist in CA without a higher salary." ((in 55 reviews)); "no management pretty much do what u want" ((in 29 reviews)); "Long hours and lots of talking about sending people into space." ((in 28 reviews)); "Poor leadership." ((in 15 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

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

Feb 26, 2019

Independence and Academic Freedom

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Rich, meaningful, fulfilling work. Great tech facilities. Intelligent passionate people.

Cons

I'm still a student so definitely underpaid compared to industry, but it's an investment

2.0

Feb 8, 2019

Cool mission and work life balance but dying bureaucracy and slothful culture

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Government employees have good leave benefits, pension is a plus

Cons

Young employees don’t receive much responsibility Too much focus on non work and non productive things vs getting the job done 25 percent of the workforce works very hard 50 percent are average at best and 25 percent are worthless

5.0

Feb 4, 2019

Engineer, Engineering Directorate

Engineer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Unparalleled work quality, competent management, and scholarly-based career.

Cons

Salary is significantly less than market-value.

Viewing 1414 - 1416 of 1,796 Reviews

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NASA

NASA reviews

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Independence and Academic Freedom

Cool mission and work life balance but dying bureaucracy and slothful culture

Engineer, Engineering Directorate

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