Is Fermilab a good company to work for?

Fermilab has an overall rating of 3.4 out of 5, based on over 334 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has increased by 11% over the last 12 months. 52% of employees would recommend working at Fermilab to a friend and 37% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about Fermilab have been left by employees working as Intern , Postdoctoral Research Associate and Engineer .

Does Fermilab pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Fermilab employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.6 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Fermilab. This rating has improved by 4% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Fermilab?

52% of Fermilab employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Fermilab 3.8 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.0 for culture and values and 3.1 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Fermilab?

Intern (18) , Engineer (11) , Postdoctoral Research Associate (10) , Summer Intern (10) , Research Associate (7) , Software Engineer (7) , Graduate Research Assistant (6) , Research Intern (6) , Technician (5) , Undergraduate Research Assistant (5) , Mechanical Engineer (4) , Senior Engineer (4) , Staff Engineer (4) , Administrative Assistant (3) , Financial Analyst (3)

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

"people are nice and friendly" ((in 35 reviews)); "The benefits and time off are great." ((in 29 reviews)); "Friendly work environment." ((in 9 reviews)); "Landscapes and nature, Wilson Hall building, some decent coworkers, some benefits, great science." ((in 5 reviews)); "Beautiful campus doing globally important work." ((in 5 reviews))

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

"DOE and FRA Management is an absolute train wreck, negligently incompetent at all levels." ((in 9 reviews)); "Managers are detached and don’t fully understand those below them" ((in 7 reviews)); "low salary and low working efficiency" ((in 7 reviews)); "Annual layoffs are now the norm." ((in 5 reviews))

What are employees saying about Fermilab layoffs in 2026?

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

What are the top reviewed Fermilab locations?

Batavia , Chicago , Aurora , DeKalb , Warrenville , Champaign , Carpentersville , Hanover Park , Naperville , Galesburg , Minneapolis , Los Angeles , Bettendorf , Illinoi

Fermilab reviews

3.4

52% would recommend to a friend

(228 total reviews)

Nigel Lockyer

47% approve of CEO

37% positive business outlook

Company ratings over time

Ratings trend for the last 6 months (228 reviews)

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Fermilab has an employee rating of 3.4 out of 5 stars, based on 228 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Fermilab employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Government & Public Administration industry (3.6 stars).

Reviews by job title

228 reviews

4.0

Oct 3, 2022

Good place to work

Senior engineer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

10% company contribution to retirement plan. Good life-work balance. Lots of opportunity to move between jobs and move up the org chart.

Cons

Lot's of red tape. Things move VERY slowly. Not the open lab that it used to be.

4.0

Aug 21, 2022

Fine

Staff electrical engineer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

- Interesting and fulfilling work - Flexible working arrangement (depends on your department) - Relatively diverse

Cons

- Pay was merely okay - Facilities at Fermilab are old and need refurbishment - Many engineers are close to retirement (stuck in their ways)

4.0

Jun 7, 2022

Good place to work, slow to adapt

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

A very congenial atmosphere, moderate pay, deliberate attention to diversity, a nice overall campus. I genuinely like working with most of the people at Fermi, the lab does a good job of attracting decent human beings.

Cons

Dilapidated infrastructure, hefty dose of bureaucracy, extremely limited opportunities for advancement (especially if you are not a Physicist.)

Viewing 58 - 60 of 228 Reviews

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Jobs at Fermilab

Security Officer (Day Shift)

Administrative Assistant III (3-year term)

Global Services Associate

Student Research Assistant

Fermilab

Fermilab reviews

Company ratings over time

Ratings by demographic groups

Reviews by job title

Good place to work

Fine

Good place to work, slow to adapt

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Jobs at Fermilab