Is NIH a good company to work for?

NIH has an overall rating of 4.1 out of 5, based on over 2,841 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?

"The people are great and having a role in biomedical research is rewarding" ((in 149 reviews)); "Benefits are great and as expected" ((in 134 reviews)); "Flexible and good work/life balance" ((in 80 reviews)); "Great lab and colleagues." ((in 56 reviews)); "Great opportunity to be mentored and grow as a scientist" ((in 51 reviews))

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

"Low salaries and lack of benefit." ((in 79 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 15 reviews)); "too much bureaucracy and regulations" ((in 14 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 9 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

(2,340 total reviews)

Francis S. Collins

82% approve of CEO

60% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.2

Culture & values

4.2

Diversity & inclusion

4.1

Work/Life balance

4.0

Compensation and benefits

3.9

Career opportunities

3.8

Senior management

NIH has an employee rating of 4.1 out of 5 stars, based on 2,340 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).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

2K reviews

4.0

Jun 24, 2009

Some of the best and the worst of government jobs.

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

The organization's mission is the best reason to work at NIH: the majority of scientists, clinicians, and support staff believe in what they are doing and strive to make things better.

Cons

The organization's sheer size sometimes makes it difficult to perform simple tasks. Institutes and centers do not always listen to each other and often compete for resources.

4.0

Jun 9, 2009

Great place to work with job security

Budget analyst

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

This is a great place to maintain a healthy work/life balance. Compensation is decent and schedules are flexible. You can have time off when you need it and work alternative work schedules that can give you a day off per pay period.

Cons

It takes a long time to get things done. Most of the time is spent waiting on others who don't call or e-mail you back. Certain offices are more relaxed than others.

4.0

May 26, 2009

A good place to work for med techs.

Medical technologist

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Government benefits are good including insurance, retirement, holidays, and leave. The pay for my field beats the pay on the outside of the government. A lot of cutting edge healthcare information is available.

Cons

Opportunity for career growth not so great. Too much red tape. Cafeteria is expensive and there are no employee discounts.

Viewing 2329 - 2331 of 2,340 Reviews

Top companies for "Compensation and Benefits" near you

Johnson & Johnson

4.1★Compensation & Benefits

Pfizer

3.7★Compensation & Benefits

GSK

3.9★Compensation & Benefits

Merck

4.1★Compensation & Benefits

Jobs at NIH

Computational Biologist

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

Postbaccalaureate Fellow

NIH

NIH reviews

Ratings by category

Ratings by demographic groups

Reviews by job title

Some of the best and the worst of government jobs.

Great place to work with job security

A good place to work for med techs.

Top companies for "Compensation and Benefits" near you

Jobs at NIH

NIH reviews FAQs

Want the inside scoop on your own company?

Bowls

Followed companies

Job searches

Top companies for "Compensation and Benefits" near you

NIH reviews FAQs

Jobs at NIH