Does Acumen pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Acumen employees rate their compensation and benefits as 2.8 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Acumen. This rating has improved by 15% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Acumen?

27% of Acumen employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Acumen 3.1 out of 5 for work life balance, 2.6 for culture and values and 2.7 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Acumen?

Data and Policy Analyst (69) , Data and Policy Analyst I (20) , Data and Policy Analyst II (16) , Analyst (11) , Statistical Programmer (11) , Data and Policy Analyst III (9) , Data and Policy Analyst IV (8) , Data Analyst (5) , Data and Policy Analyst - Statistical Programmer (5) , Policy Lead (5) , Research Analyst (5) , Lead Research Analyst (4) , Operations Coordinator (4) , Policy Analyst (4) , Senior Research Analyst (4)

What are the pros of working at Acumen according to real employee reviews?

"Nice people and generous on H1B applications" ((in 36 reviews)); "Nice coworkers across different departments" ((in 27 reviews)); "All administrative teams are friendly and helpful." ((in 19 reviews)); "Flexible hours (depending on the Dept." ((in 8 reviews)); "Growth opportunities" ((in 6 reviews))

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

"Your life quality hinges upon the quality of your supervisor; not everyone gets assigned good managers;" ((in 41 reviews)); "Pay is low for the work and very low for the location" ((in 30 reviews)); "Hard for juniors to get a big picture of the projects they are doing; benefits are poor" ((in 18 reviews)); "Work/life balance can be difficult to maintain" ((in 16 reviews)); "The upper management is horrible." ((in 14 reviews))

What are employees saying about Acumen layoffs in 2026?

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

What are the top reviewed Acumen locations?

Burlingame , Washington , Los Angeles , San Francisco , Millbrae , San Jose , Orem , Draper , Saint Louis , New York , Mesa , Oklahoma City , Atlanta , Red Oak , San Antonio , La Jolla , San Mateo , Marksville , Pittsburgh , Milledgeville , Tysons Corner

Acumen reviews

Believe the good and definitely believe the bad - Data and Policy Analyst Acumen Employee Review

2.0

Feb 24, 2017

Data and policy analyst

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

- Interesting projects that offer great exposure to the healthcare field through projects that matter and working with big data. - Flexible work environment - they seem to let people work remotely all the time. - Smart and diverse set of colleagues. - Some competent managers, but it really is dumb luck where you end up as analysts do not typically get a say in which teams they are assigned to and once assigned have little mobility within the company. - You can progress up the management chain if you prove yourself worthy. This is uneven though as some teams seems to value dynamism and encourage employee growth whereas others have very stringent management styles that stifle growth.

Cons

- Massive retention issues and low gross pay that are incompatible to living comfortably in the Bay area. - Long work hours and concurrently low hourly wages. More recently, they seem to be having issues attracting strong talent meaning that competent analysts bear a disproportionate burden of work. - Turf wars among upper management seem common. This can make for a fairly toxic environment with a lot of back biting that make for lots of negative interactions for junior analysts. - Poor management and lack of communication. Managers always seem to be on the defensive, sometimes for no explicable reason. - Employees are viewed as disposable, no matter how long they've worked at the company or what they've done for it. - Lots of unhappy employees, which makes for a demotivating environment overall. This is not surprising given the issues outlined above. - None of these issues are unique to my perspective and have been documented by multiple parties over several years. Take them seriously if you are considering working at the company. Ultimately, the cons outweigh the pros and that does not bode well for the company.

Acumen Response

9y

Thank you for your thoughtful review. We are developing programs to address many of these specific issues. The company is actively recruiting and hiring more senior management to enable the company to develop into Best Company material. HR would love to hear from you regarding any of these issues and any possible recommendations for improvement.

Explore other reviews about Acumen

5.0

Apr 18, 2026

Associate researcher

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

- The work is intellectually engaging and gave me many chances to grow technically. - I learned a lot from talented coworkers and appreciated being part of projects with real-world relevance. - There was also good exposure to translating technical work into clear, usable takeaways.

Cons

- The work can be intense and detail-heavy, and deadlines can sometimes feel demanding. - Priorities may shift quickly, which can make it hard to plan ahead. - At times, the volume of revisions and fast pace can be stressful.

Acumen Response

2mo

We've heard that this type of feedback is helpful to new graduates and prospective applicants, particularly your perspective on the pros and cons of working here. Please continue to share your experiences during your career journey with us. We wish you the best!

2.0

Jul 14, 2026

Operations

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

You will work with some really nice and lovely people. That is the only pro I can say about this chaotic and disorganized company (this is the most professional way I can describe this company, but know I would like to use much harsher language).

Cons

- Management is disorganized and ineffective. You would think that after 30 years, they would have established systems to avoid negative financial situations. - The C-suite doesn't care about employees; their main focus is on ensuring they and their friends make money. - There are practically no incentives to work here. You will never receive a pay raise, you won't get a meaningful promotion, and you will constantly find yourself doing the work of entry-level employees. - Following two major layoffs within two years, the company made minimal changes to improve its poor financial status. They continue to employ some of the least effective and most costly employees, simply hoping that things will improve. That's not how business operates, but it seems to be the mentality since they predominantly hire their friends.

Acumen Response

2d

Thank you for sharing your perspective from your time employed at Acumen. We regret that your experience did not meet your expectations, and we acknowledge that the recent layoffs have been difficult for everyone. Your feedback is taken seriously and will be shared with our leadership team as we continue evaluating where processes can be strengthened. We appreciate your input and wish you the very best in your future endeavors.

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Acumen

Believe the good and definitely believe the bad - Data and Policy Analyst Acumen Employee Review

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