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 (289) , Aerospace Engineer (125) , Engineer (101) , Astronaut (95) , Internship (76) , Software Engineer (56) , Systems Engineer (38) , Software Engineer(Internship) (37) , Mechanical Engineer (34) , 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 284 reviews)); "Work life balance is great when you don’t go through management and let HR inform them of any accommodations" ((in 100 reviews)); "This makes it easy to win the best place to work in federal government awards year after year." ((in 80 reviews)); "Good work environment and people" ((in 65 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 151 reviews)); "Government salaries are low and therefore it's hard to subsist in CA without a higher salary." ((in 56 reviews)); "Long hours and lots of talking about sending people into space." ((in 31 reviews)); "Some non performers and very poor managers." ((in 13 reviews)); "We have had 5 company changes in 6 years; but the upper management at White Sands has not changed." ((in 9 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

(1,788 total reviews)

Charles F. Bolden, Jr.

82% approve of CEO

58% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.4

Culture & values

4.4

Work/Life balance

4.3

Diversity & inclusion

4.3

Career opportunities

4.1

Senior management

4.0

Compensation and benefits

NASA has an employee rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars, based on 1,788 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 19, 2010

Researcher

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Work environment is very laid back; competent peers and employees. Great job perks. Great communication of ideas across research groups and departments.

Cons

Getting approval for projects, etc, takes much longer than in industry... Requires a lot of patience as there is no real deadline driven environment.

5.0

Oct 13, 2010

NASA LARSS Program

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

I loved interning at NASA Langley Research Center through the Langley Aerospace Research Summer Scholars (LARSS) program. I personally worked in the Advanced Materials and Processing Branch, where I was gained valuable hands-on experience with the perfect combination of guidance and freedom in my research.

Cons

The only con for me is the location- Hampton, VA was not an exciting location to work or live.

4.0

Oct 9, 2010

NASA

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

The benefits at NASA are some of the best. At a very junior level, I had access to the same packages as senior level employees. There is also incredible job security and the work atmosphere is very relaxed.

Cons

The pay for NASA is similar to other positions in the government. Most people can earn more doing the same job in the private sector.

Viewing 1753 - 1755 of 1,788 Reviews

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