Does Smithsonian pay their employees well?

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

How satisfied are employees working at Smithsonian?

66% of Smithsonian employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Smithsonian 4.1 out of 5 for work life balance, 4.0 for culture and values and 3.4 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Smithsonian?

Intern (56) , Internship (13) , Explainer (10) , Retail Sales Associate (9) , Sales Associate (9) , Contractor (8) , Postdoctoral Fellow (8) , Research Assistant (8) , Museum Specialist (7) , Program Coordinator (7) , Security Officer (7) , Archivist (6) , Curator (6) , Education Specialist (6) , Program Assistant (6)

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

"And you will meet so many great people (tourist) from all over the world." ((in 65 reviews)); "Good benefits and culture." ((in 38 reviews)); "Great staff I enjoyed my time there." ((in 21 reviews)); "Great coworkers and behind the scenes access to museum collections" ((in 17 reviews)); "Great mentorship, friendly work environment, vigorous research, generous stipend, opportunities to connect with other branches within Smithsonian" ((in 14 reviews))

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

"Low pay and no promotion oportunity" ((in 29 reviews)); "Low salary for DC metropolitan area" ((in 15 reviews)); "Lack of leadership and hard to fire" ((in 14 reviews)); "Unpaid internship where I was doing some of the same work that paid employees were doing." ((in 12 reviews)); "Long hours and very administrative at times" ((in 10 reviews))

What are the top reviewed Smithsonian locations?

Washington , Chantilly , New York , Suitland , Arlington , Chicago , Front Royal , Annapolis , Edgewater , District Heights , Falls Church , Herndon , Manassas , Sterling , Wisconsin Rapids , Tucson , Ann Arbor , Burlington , Saint Cloud , Shepherdstown , San Diego , Berkeley , Las Vegas , Ruston , Seattle , Catonsville , Columbia , California , Chevy Chase , Fort Washington

Smithsonian reviews

4.1

66% would recommend to a friend

(508 total reviews)

Dr. David J. Skorton

75% approve of CEO

64% positive business outlook

Company ratings over time

Ratings trend for the last 6 months (508 reviews)

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Smithsonian has an employee rating of 4.1 out of 5 stars, based on 508 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an excellent working experience there. The Smithsonian employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Nonprofit & NGO industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

508 reviews

2.0

Mar 3, 2026

Not planning to stay

Specialist

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

It's the Smithsonian Incredibly smart and hardworking people

Cons

Bureaucracy - tons of forms for every single thing, yet when it comes to doing the work, there's no formalized manual/instructions. Red tape often stifles any creativity. Low salary but high expectations (clearly people burn out and leave] Microaggression and micromanagement from supervisors, yet they're oblivious.

5.0

May 12, 2025

Big w

Special agent

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Fun hidden gem with a good mission

Cons

Federal government isnt the best place right now due to current administration

5.0

Dec 11, 2024

Good with the right managers

Curator

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Flexible, interesting, meaningful mission, impactful, creative

Cons

Weak leadership, nepotism, weak HR, low budgets

Viewing 22 - 24 of 508 Reviews

Top companies for "Compensation and Benefits" near you

Other

3.6★Compensation & Benefits

Fred Hutch Cancer Center

3.5★Compensation & Benefits

DTE Energy

3.6★Compensation & Benefits

UNICEF

3.9★Compensation & Benefits

Jobs at Smithsonian

Museum Specialist (General)

Collections Move Coordinator

Museum Specialist (General)

Administrative Officer

Smithsonian

Smithsonian reviews

Company ratings over time

Ratings by demographic groups

Reviews by job title

Not planning to stay

Big w

Good with the right managers

Top companies for "Compensation and Benefits" near you

Jobs at Smithsonian