Is NASA a good company to work for?

NASA has an overall rating of 4.4 out of 5, based on over 3,236 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has increased by 1% over the last 12 months. 86% of employees would recommend working at NASA to a friend and 59% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about NASA have been left by employees working as Software Engineer(Internship) , Astrophysicist and Intern - Hourly .

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 (290) , Aerospace Engineer (125) , Engineer (101) , Astronaut (95) , Internship (77) , Software Engineer (56) , Systems Engineer (38) , Software Engineer(Internship) (37) , Mechanical Engineer (35) , 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 283 reviews)); "Work life balance is great when you don’t go through management and let HR inform them of any accommodations" ((in 97 reviews)); "This makes it easy to win the best place to work in federal government awards year after year." ((in 80 reviews)); "benefits are good and useful" ((in 68 reviews)); "Good work environment and people" ((in 60 reviews))

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

"low pay and old buildings" ((in 141 reviews)); "Government salaries are low and therefore it's hard to subsist in CA without a higher salary." ((in 58 reviews)); "Long hours and lots of talking about sending people into space." ((in 32 reviews)); "there are no cons, very good management" ((in 31 reviews)); "Poor leadership." ((in 15 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.

What NASA locations have received the highest employee ratings?

Fairmont , New Orleans , Texas City , Denver , Stennis Space Center , San Jose , New York , Merritt Island , Wallops Island , Edwards

NASA reviews

4.4

86% would recommend to a friend

(1,790 total reviews)

Charles F. Bolden, Jr.

83% approve of CEO

59% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.4

Culture & values

4.4

Work/Life balance

4.3

Diversity & inclusion

4.3

Career opportunities

4.2

Senior management

4.0

Compensation and benefits

NASA has an employee rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars, based on 1,790 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 Government & Public Administration 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

5.0

Sep 28, 2009

NASA is a great place to work

Senior attorney

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Collegial and nurturing environment, flexible work hours, great benefits, lots of time off.

Cons

Salaries are lower than industry standards but commesurate with work schedule.

2.0

Jul 15, 2009

We all wish NASA lived up to what it could be. There are pockets of quality, but overall a bloated government entity

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Cool work, with one of a kind opportunities to be part of space exploration. Lots of education reimbursement benefits. Good work-life balance.

Cons

Slow and bureaucratic, with many "lifers" unwilling to work. Innovation and youthful enthusiasm are blunted at every turn. Reliance on congressional funding cycles makes work choppy and disjointed. No connection to final product and no PROFIT MOTIVATION.

3.0

Jul 14, 2009

Great resources, limited opportunity to grow

Summer intern

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Best resources, best learning tools, great/friendly people, flexible hours, great facility. The baby boomers will be retiring soon so NASA will be looking to hire younger people. Also, there are many opportunities available for young professionals to develop from NASA's online class databse to instructors that teach weekly seminars on powerpoint, excel, etc.

Cons

Poor compensation, the work is not challenging enough, the projects can be boring, and the efficiency at which people work is extremely slow (especially when compared to private sector counterparts).

Viewing 1774 - 1776 of 1,790 Reviews

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NASA

NASA reviews

Ratings by category

Ratings by demographic groups

Reviews by job title

NASA is a great place to work

We all wish NASA lived up to what it could be. There are pockets of quality, but overall a bloated government entity

Great resources, limited opportunity to grow

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