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 290 reviews)); "Work life balance is great when you don’t go through management and let HR inform them of any accommodations" ((in 91 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 64 reviews)); "The work that we do also provides great benefit to life here on Earth." ((in 63 reviews))

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

"low pay and old buildings" ((in 153 reviews)); "Government salaries are low and therefore it's hard to subsist in CA without a higher salary." ((in 60 reviews)); "Long hours and lots of talking about sending people into space." ((in 30 reviews)); "no management pretty much do what u want" ((in 29 reviews)); "Some non performers and very poor managers." ((in 12 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

(1,788 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

3.0

Jul 14, 2009

Great resources, limited opportunity to grow

Summer intern

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Best resources, best learning tools, great/friendly people, flexible hours, great facility. The baby boomers will be retiring soon so NASA will be looking to hire younger people. Also, there are many opportunities available for young professionals to develop from NASA's online class databse to instructors that teach weekly seminars on powerpoint, excel, etc.

Cons

Poor compensation, the work is not challenging enough, the projects can be boring, and the efficiency at which people work is extremely slow (especially when compared to private sector counterparts).

5.0

Jul 12, 2009

A rewarding place to work

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

It is great to work somewhere that makes a difference. NASA is trying to make the world a better place to live. The opportunities to make a significant difference are emence

Cons

I would say that the only down side is that the reward system is limited by law. The opportunities to advance are difficult and time consuming.

3.0

Jun 19, 2009

Everyone's experience is different

Engineering intern

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

- Cool projects related to space, technology, engineering - Relaxed environment, diversity, collaboration - Offices - "Brand" Name - Plenty of internship programs - Many locations (awesome campuses)

Cons

The main issue with NASA is it has lost its aura of the 60's or 70's... after we got to the moon, the only cool thing is the Hubble Telescope... - somethings are old and underfunded - government level pay

Viewing 1774 - 1776 of 1,788 Reviews

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NASA

NASA reviews

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Great resources, limited opportunity to grow

A rewarding place to work

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