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 278 reviews)); "Work life balance is great when you don’t go through management and let HR inform them of any accommodations" ((in 94 reviews)); "This makes it easy to win the best place to work in federal government awards year after year." ((in 82 reviews)); "Good work environment and people" ((in 63 reviews)); "benefits are good and useful" ((in 59 reviews))

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

"Low pay and bureaucracy to deal with" ((in 147 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 34 reviews)); "no management pretty much do what u want" ((in 30 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.

Skip to content Skip to footer

Notifications

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

Oct 16, 2013

Diverse and Ambitious

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

NASA Ames lives up to it's bay area culture. The center strives to be cutting edge, controversial, and exciting.

Cons

Ames is not well suited for the conservative individual who requires a high degree of structure and tradition.

3.0

Oct 12, 2013

Interesting work; sometimes hindered by bureaucracy and budget cuts

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

The opportunity to do Interesting work in space and aeronautics. Mostly great coworkers. Very good job security and benefits. Reasonably good pay.

Cons

The bureaucracy often makes it difficult to get things done, which can be frustrating. Budget cuts from Congress sometimes result in projects being suddenly canceled or curtailed for no good reason. The downside of job security is that some tenured civil servants are able to hold onto their jobs even though they are no longer making significant contributions.

3.0

Oct 5, 2013

Co-op at NASA

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Flexible Hours and great management

Cons

Lower Pay, ever changing mission

Viewing 1699 - 1701 of 1,790 Reviews

Top companies for "Compensation and Benefits" near you

US Army

4.1★Compensation & Benefits

US Air Force

4.2★Compensation & Benefits

UNDP

3.7★Compensation & Benefits

US Navy

4.0★Compensation & Benefits

Jobs at NASA

Stretch Therapy Specialist / Assisted Stretch Practitioner

AST - Life Sciences Research

Aerospace Engineer, AST, Aerospace Flight Systems (Direct Hire)

Public Notice - Facilities Operations/Management (Direct Hire)

Public Notice - Information Technology Specialist (Direct Hire)

NASA reviews FAQs

Related searches: NASA jobs | NASA salaries | NASA benefits | NASA interviews | NASA conversations

Reviews NASA reviews

NASA

NASA reviews

Ratings by category

Ratings by demographic groups

Reviews by job title

Diverse and Ambitious

Interesting work; sometimes hindered by bureaucracy and budget cuts

Co-op at NASA

Top companies for "Compensation and Benefits" near you

Jobs at NASA

NASA reviews FAQs

Want the inside scoop on your own company?

Bowls

Followed companies

Job searches

Top companies for "Compensation and Benefits" near you

NASA reviews FAQs

Jobs at NASA