Is NIH a good company to work for?

NIH has an overall rating of 4.1 out of 5, based on over 2,842 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has decreased by 3% over the last 12 months. 80% of employees would recommend working at NIH to a friend and 60% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about NIH have been left by employees working as Postdoctoral Researcher , Intern and Summer Intern .

Does NIH pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, NIH employees rate their compensation and benefits as 4.0 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at NIH. This rating has decreased by 2% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at NIH?

80% of NIH employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated NIH 4.1 out of 5 for work life balance, 4.2 for culture and values and 3.9 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at NIH?

Postdoctoral Fellow (298) , Research Fellow (124) , Postbaccalaureate IRTA (103) , Staff Scientist (63) , Postdoctoral Research Fellow (40) , Intern (38) , Research Assistant (38) , Summer Intern (29) , Post-Baccalaureate Fellow (27) , Scientist (25) , Research Scientist (23) , Biologist (22) , Program Analyst (21) , Post Doctoral Fellow (20) , Visiting Fellow (20)

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

"good benefits and pro." ((in 140 reviews)); "The people are great and having a role in biomedical research is rewarding" ((in 139 reviews)); "good work/life balance and super friendly teammates" ((in 81 reviews)); "Great lab and colleagues." ((in 58 reviews)); "Great opportunity to be mentored and grow as a scientist" ((in 47 reviews))

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

"Low salaries and lack of benefit." ((in 78 reviews)); "can become repetitive, sometime poor management, same activity repeated," ((in 29 reviews)); ""Bad" Departments has poor leadership, micromanage and terrible behaviors unbecoming of what a manager should be." ((in 14 reviews)); "Lots of bureaucracy and red tape to navigate" ((in 13 reviews)); "Certain managers (and this is a systematic problem government wide) that focus on promotion based on "time in grade" rather than job performance." ((in 8 reviews))

What are employees saying about NIH layoffs in 2026?

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

What are the top reviewed NIH locations?

Bethesda , Rockville , Washington , Baltimore , Frederick , Durham , Gaithersburg , Silver Spring , Research Triangle Park , New York , North Bethesda , Phoenix , Raleigh , Boston , Herndon , Maryland Heights , Houston , Columbia , Bowie , Cambridge , Shady Grove , Little Falls , New Brunswick , Wayne , Princeton , Chicago , Kewanee , Annandale , Clifton , Reston

NIH reviews

4.1

80% would recommend to a friend

(2,341 total reviews)

Francis S. Collins

82% approve of CEO

60% positive business outlook

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

NIH has an employee rating of 4.1 out of 5 stars, based on 2,341 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an excellent working experience there. The NIH employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology industry (3.5 stars).

Reviews by job title

2K reviews

4.0

Sep 17, 2025

Good place to work

Senior scientist

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Good work life balance Meaningful work Intellectual freedom

Cons

Pay is lower than private companies

4.0

Sep 16, 2025

Great mission but going through major reorganization

Supervisory management analyst

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

The culture is collaborative and all the employees are dedicated. I've had wonderful bosses.

Cons

They fired most of their management analysts in 2025, so I would not recommend NIH as an employer for anyone interested in this field.

5.0

Sep 16, 2025

Excellent mission! Excellent Place to work!

Program manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

NIH has an excellent mission supporting the health and providing research for the benefit of all Americans. The environment is supportive, the work sites are modern and pleasant, and the people are wonderful to work with. Management keeps you apprised of what is going on and maintains open communications with employees.

Cons

It's a large agency, so you can get lost in the numbers. As a federal agency, it is subject to whatever the current political landscape is.

Viewing 61 - 63 of 2,341 Reviews

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Jobs at NIH

Computational Biologist

Postdoctoral IRTA Position on Mucosal Immunity and Vaccine Development for Emerging Respiratory Viruses

Postbaccalaureate Fellow

NIH

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Good place to work

Great mission but going through major reorganization

Excellent mission! Excellent Place to work!

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