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 (56) , Systems Engineer (38) , Software Engineer(Internship) (37) , Mechanical Engineer (35) , Engineering Intern (31) , Research Scientist (24) , Summer Intern (23) , Contract Specialist (22) , Astrophysicist (21) , Senior Software Engineer (21)

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

"Great people and learning experiences" ((in 283 reviews)); "Work life balance is great when you don’t go through management and let HR inform them of any accommodations" ((in 95 reviews)); "This makes it easy to win the best place to work in federal government awards year after year." ((in 81 reviews)); "benefits are good and useful" ((in 70 reviews)); "Good work environment and people" ((in 65 reviews))

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

"low pay and old buildings" ((in 145 reviews)); "Government salaries are low and therefore it's hard to subsist in CA without a higher salary." ((in 54 reviews)); "Long hours and lots of talking about sending people into space." ((in 32 reviews)); "there are no cons, very good management" ((in 32 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.

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NASA

NASA reviews

4.4

86% would recommend to a friend

(1,790 total reviews)

Charles F. Bolden, Jr.

83% approve of CEO

60% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.4

Culture & values

4.4

Work/Life balance

4.3

Diversity & inclusion

4.3

Career opportunities

4.2

Senior management

4.1

Compensation and benefits

NASA has an employee rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars, based on 1,790 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).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

2K reviews

3.0

Jan 29, 2014

Have Friends in High Places

Computer scientist

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Can learn to become a real Rocket Scientist if desired.

Cons

Government bureaucracy and flat pay due to federal government pay freeze for last 2+ years.

5.0

Jan 18, 2014

Smart, talented people doing amzing things in aerospace.

Business administrative

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

NASA rated the top agency to work for in the federal government, and JSC rated in about the top ten places to work n the entire government. Located in the southeast suburbs of Houston in/near several great school districts and with lots of good neighborhoods so commutes can be short..

Cons

Being government, there can be extra bureacracy, and there's some degree of stress over what the budget may be next year and after that. It's a mix of civil service employees and aerospace and other companies' employees, and sometimes there's confusion or even jealousy about roles

5.0

Jan 16, 2014

Great learning experience and exciting work.

Aerospace engineer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Rapid advancement, job security, and great leave package.

Cons

Promotions are not always based on performance. Raises are in the hands of Congress and the President.

Viewing 1651 - 1653 of 1,790 Reviews

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Have Friends in High Places

Smart, talented people doing amzing things in aerospace.

Great learning experience and exciting work.

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