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 287 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 81 reviews)); "Great benefits and time off." ((in 66 reviews)); "Good work environment and people" ((in 59 reviews))

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

"Low pay and bureaucracy to deal with" ((in 149 reviews)); "Government salaries are low and therefore it's hard to subsist in CA without a higher salary." ((in 59 reviews)); "no management pretty much do what u want" ((in 31 reviews)); "Long hours and lots of talking about sending people into space." ((in 30 reviews)); "Some non performers and very poor managers." ((in 13 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

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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 17, 2013

The adventure is over.

General manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Training and development opportunities are good. Can travel around the country and work with great people at the NASA centers. Orion and SLS development is in work, but the funding is insufficient to complete them anytime soon.

Cons

Funding has declined and we lack a mission since the retirement of the Space Shuttle. Brain drain is having a major impact on the Agency.

3.0

Jun 19, 2012

Tons of lazy people...NASA needs to weed out

Researcher

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

NASA is federal government so the job can be very stable if you are a civil servant or a long time contractor. A lot of cool stuff going on. Payment is decent, government rates are adjusted. Managers are really nice.

Cons

This is NOT the NASA of the past. Full of lazy people, laid back environment and there is people just putting their names on publications when they didn't do any of the job.

5.0

Dec 3, 2023

Overall good place to work, but it depends on what department you work with.

Training coordinator

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

1. Lots of learning opportunities. 2. Decent pay 3. Work with some really great people 4. Get to do some really cool stuff and feel like you are a part of something big.

Cons

1. High stress 2. Not everyone is kind, and it can feel like there is a definite hierarchy. Sometimes the higher ups will not acknowledge new hires. 3. There has been massive turnover in my department due to high stress jobs.

Viewing 25 - 27 of 1,788 Reviews

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The adventure is over.

Tons of lazy people...NASA needs to weed out

Overall good place to work, but it depends on what department you work with.

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