Is RAND a good company to work for?

RAND has an overall rating of 4.0 out of 5, based on over 556 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has been stable over the past 12 months. 73% of employees would recommend working at RAND to a friend and 35% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about RAND have been left by employees working as Summer Associate , Research Assistant and Assistant Policy Researcher .

Does RAND pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, RAND employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.7 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at RAND. This rating has improved by 5% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at RAND?

73% of RAND employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated RAND 4.3 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.9 for culture and values and 3.5 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at RAND?

Research Assistant (45) , Administrative Assistant (22) , Assistant Policy Researcher (17) , Analyst (15) , Researcher (15) , Summer Associate (12) , Manager (7) , Policy Analyst (7) , Assistant Policy Analyst (6) , Finance (6) , Behavioral Scientist (5) , Policy Researcher (5) , Senior Analyst (5) , Associate Policy Researcher (4) , Senior Political Scientist (4)

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

"Great people and very intellectual" ((in 68 reviews)); "Great location and colleagues with expertise in their field." ((in 58 reviews)); "The benefits for time off and health insurance can be good." ((in 38 reviews)); "Work with brilliant coworkers in multiple disciplines." ((in 10 reviews)); "life balance (I rarely think of my job after 5 pm) and the flexible work schedule is nice." ((in 10 reviews))

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

"Low pay relative to outside (non" ((in 18 reviews)); "Long hours because of gripping topics and always juggling priorities on different projects." ((in 12 reviews)); "salaries are low (at least at the Europe office)" ((in 11 reviews)); "Employees stay a long time and therefore there is not much room for upward mobility." ((in 10 reviews)); "aggressed by managers and directors that I relied on for work and management was unequipped to deal with these issues." ((in 8 reviews))

What are employees saying about RAND layoffs in 2026?

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

What are the top reviewed RAND locations?

Santa Monica , Washington , Arlington , Pittsburgh , Los Angeles , New York , San Francisco , Boston , Idaho Falls , Chicago , Bristow , Randolph , Austin , Honolulu , Arcadia , Woodland Hills , Pawtucket , Baltimore , Central , Crystal City

RAND reviews

4.0

73% would recommend to a friend

(504 total reviews)

Jason Matheny

53% approve of CEO

35% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.3

Work/Life balance

3.9

Culture & values

3.8

Diversity & inclusion

3.7

Compensation and benefits

3.5

Career opportunities

3.3

Senior management

RAND has an employee rating of 4.0 out of 5 stars, based on 504 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The RAND employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Management & Consulting industry (3.7 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

504 reviews

5.0

Jul 13, 2013

A smart, well-connected place where you can make a difference

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Constant intellectual buzz. Huge array of public policy topics. Collaborative environment. Good pay. Great benefits (like getting paid 50% extra when you go on vacation).

Cons

Because most revenues come from government contracts, some researchers spend more of their time than they should chasing new business or trying to get attached to well-funded projects.

4.0

Jun 27, 2013

Interesting changes in Information Services

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Management brought in a new CIO who emphasizes concentrating on projects that add value to the company. He challenges existing concepts and is detailed when it comes to approving new endeavors. There is emphasis on a few important projects that support the RAND strategic mission. This and pushing to reduce support work to allow developers to concentrate on important projects has helped to allow us to get more real work done. In some ways it has made work less stressful, although not completely. RAND is a company where the environment is stimulating. At RAND you work with very talented researchers who generally are eager to have your help and recognize that you have something to offer them that they can't do themselves. The research that we are involved in affects everyone and adds to policy and decisionmaking ability for all of the most current issues we face. It makes you proud to work here. The CIO has an open-door policy and it seems like if you spend time with him to get his feelings about a project you are working on it helps to make sure that you will be headed in the right direction. I think it appears that his approach is working. Our internal clients have said that the differences they see are positive and we hear that the reputation of our IS department is good and getting better.

Cons

We sometimes get stuck in our old processes and procedures, creating an environment where there isn't much new. Some of our folks see this as comfortable, so there has been a lot of concern on the part of some in IS over the changes that have been introduced. This has caused griping and made some people hard to work with at times. I guess that isn't unusual with new management. Pushing projects through the approval processes at different "gates" is a new process for us, and has been a challenge and sometimes frustrating. At times the PMs feel like they are ready to move forward, and then they are told to go back and re-do some of it. It is a learning experience. We have lost a few people and hiring replacements is going slowly. Some of the responsibilities that people had before have been taken away and they are having to look for new ways to make their contributions known. I am not sure that this is recognized.

2.0

May 24, 2013

Great place to work if you're not in IT

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

RAND is a great company that has meaningful impact on the world. Their pay is decent, the benefits are fantastic, and you could have the opportunity to meet and work with many great people.

Cons

Not a great place to work if you're an IT Professional. Senior management in IT trusts nobody and treats long time employees with proven track records like children.

Viewing 469 - 471 of 504 Reviews

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A smart, well-connected place where you can make a difference

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