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 4.3 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 97 reviews)); "This makes it easy to win the best place to work in federal government awards year after year." ((in 80 reviews)); "benefits are good and useful" ((in 68 reviews)); "Good work environment and people" ((in 60 reviews))

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

"low pay and old buildings" ((in 141 reviews)); "Government salaries are low and therefore it's hard to subsist in CA without a higher salary." ((in 58 reviews)); "Long hours and lots of talking about sending people into space." ((in 32 reviews)); "there are no cons, very good management" ((in 31 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

59% 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

4.0

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

4.0

Jun 21, 2014

aerospace engineer

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

interesting work. The people are great to work with. Always willing to help and give a hand. The atmosphere is relaxed and there is a good work/life balance.

Cons

It is hard to get promoted within engineering. You have to take the administrative route to really get anywhere. Salary is low considering that there are no real bonuses (just some token stuff).

3.0

Jun 12, 2014

good research experience, bad funding situation

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

work life balance, flexible work time, ability to set research goals.

Cons

constantly changing goals and funding issues

5.0

Jun 2, 2014

Great place to work

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

You learn a ton, great area of California, amazing projects to work on. Compensation is fair and leadership is truly there to help you and the project you are on meet and exceed goals and expectations. There is rarely a day where you feel like you're not doing anything short of amazing.

Cons

lots of unspoken 'politics' within NASA; government budget cuts

Viewing 1678 - 1680 of 1,790 Reviews

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good research experience, bad funding situation

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