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 12% 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 37 reviews)); "Benefits are good." ((in 26 reviews)); "Friendly work environment." ((in 8 reviews)); "Good work life balance and nice people" ((in 6 reviews)); "Awesome place to work fun time" ((in 6 reviews))

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

"Low pay (reasonable considering national lab)" ((in 10 reviews)); "Managers are detached and don’t fully understand those below them" ((in 9 reviews)); "DOE and FRA Management is an absolute train wreck, negligently incompetent at all levels." ((in 8 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

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

3.0

Mar 12, 2025

Solid Employer

Finance

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great people to work with. Great purpose.

Cons

Undergoing a much needed culture change, so you need to be resilient to the ebs and flows of the chaos that comes with that.

2.0

Mar 10, 2025

Disappointing.

Hr administrator

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Innovative science, gorgeous campus, diversity and lots of opportunities to learn about experiments.

Cons

Outdated systems, too many managers, corrupted policies and favoritism running rampant.

2.0

Mar 8, 2025

It was a good place, not so much anymore

Department manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

It was an exciting place to work at up until Covid. Remote/hybrid work-life balance isn't bad either. (as a comment, this page lists Nigel as the Director, but hasn't had that title since 2021 I believe. Even Lia came and went)

Cons

I don't need to get into the problems with upper management. You can read that for yourself here. To add, there's WAY too much middle management. Often times, entry level folks are promoted to management who aren't qualified. And this middle management layer isn't even needed to begin with.

Viewing 22 - 24 of 228 Reviews

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Jobs at Fermilab

Administrative Assistant III (3-year term)

Technician II-Sr. (Active SkillBridge) 3-year Term Position

Global Services Associate

Student Research Assistant

LBNFDUNE Mech Tech III

Fermilab

Fermilab reviews

Company ratings over time

Ratings by demographic groups

Reviews by job title

Solid Employer

Disappointing.

It was a good place, not so much anymore

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Jobs at Fermilab