Does Charles River Laboratories pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Charles River Laboratories employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.0 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Charles River Laboratories. This rating has been stable over the past 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Charles River Laboratories?

49% of Charles River Laboratories employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Charles River Laboratories 3.2 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.2 for culture and values and 3.1 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Charles River Laboratories?

Lab Technician (78) , Scientist (69) , Animal Care Technician (65) , Research Technician (55) , Technician (52) , Analyst (51) , Research Associate (46) , Research Scientist (43) , Supervisor (37) , Research Assistant (36) , Laboratory Technician (31) , Study Director (27) , Project Manager (25) , Manager (22) , Associate Scientist (20)

What are the pros of working at Charles River Laboratories according to real employee reviews?

"The ability to move around within the company is relatively good and the benefits are good." ((in 231 reviews)); "Great people you work with and a relatively easy job with very easy to understand ladder to climb." ((in 171 reviews)); "Very interesting place to work and colleagues are great" ((in 44 reviews)); "Great Coworkers (for the most part)" ((in 40 reviews)); "This is a great opportunity if you just graduated from college and want to get some lab/animal science experience." ((in 37 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Charles River Laboratories according to real employee reviews?

"sites are disorganized and pay is low" ((in 177 reviews)); "Management is poor and people who are in charge lack knowledge of CDMO" ((in 162 reviews)); "The low salary also makes it hard to subsequently ask for more at another company." ((in 115 reviews)); "Long hours are common and they happen with little or no warning and frequently (at least a couple times a week)." ((in 40 reviews)); "upper management is awful, lots of work to do which overwhelms people easily." ((in 34 reviews))

What are employees saying about Charles River Laboratories layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about Charles River Laboratories layoffs and their outlook for job security at Charles River Laboratories in 2026.

What are the top reviewed Charles River Laboratories locations?

Wilmington , Mattawan , Reno , Ashland , Horsham , Shrewsbury , Memphis , Boston , Charleston , Worcester , Chicago , Bethesda , Raleigh , South San Francisco , Malvern , Wayne , Cambridge , Skokie , San Diego , Rockville , Morrisville , Newark , Frederick , Philadelphia , Spencerville , Kalamazoo , Wilmington , Durham , Kingston , Catskill

Skip to content Skip to footer

Notifications

Charles River Laboratories

Charles River Laboratories reviews

3.2

49% would recommend to a friend

(2,377 total reviews)

Birgit Girshick

64% approve of CEO

32% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

3.7

Diversity & inclusion

3.2

Culture & values

3.2

Work/Life balance

3.1

Career opportunities

3.0

Compensation and benefits

2.7

Senior management

Charles River Laboratories has an employee rating of 3.2 out of 5 stars, based on 2,377 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Charles River Laboratories employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology industry (3.5 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

2K reviews

1.0

Aug 10, 2016

Not worth it!

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

You will lean GLP regulation!

Cons

Too much inter-team politics, low pay, too many lay offs and burnouts!

2.0

Aug 6, 2016

Research Assistant

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

NHPs present, personal in vivo staff

Cons

Greedy management who don't care about the strain placed on the workers

2.0

Aug 2, 2016

Formulations Technician

Formulations technician

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great benefits package included health insurance, vision, dental, 401k. Seemingly positive goal oriented organisation with a passion for helping others.

Cons

Pay was meager with regard to the types of chemical compounds formulations technicians are exposed to and expected to handle responsibly in a substandard laboratory setting. Too many employees in a small laboratory area increased the potential for exposure to toxic substances.

Viewing 2194 - 2196 of 2,377 Reviews

Jobs at Charles River Laboratories

TEMP Packing Assembler

Scheduling and Resource Specialist I

Clinical Support Services Coordinator I

Technical Training Specialist Analytical Services

Supervisor, Laboratory Sciences Training

Charles River Laboratories reviews FAQs

Reviews Charles River Laboratories reviews

Charles River Laboratories

Charles River Laboratories reviews

Ratings by category

Ratings by demographic groups

Reviews by job title

Not worth it!

Research Assistant

Formulations Technician

Jobs at Charles River Laboratories

Charles River Laboratories reviews FAQs

Want the inside scoop on your own company?

Bowls

Followed companies

Job searches

Charles River Laboratories reviews FAQs

Jobs at Charles River Laboratories