Does Air Force Research Laboratory pay their employees well?

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

How satisfied are employees working at Air Force Research Laboratory?

93% of Air Force Research Laboratory employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Air Force Research Laboratory 4.5 out of 5 for work life balance, 4.3 for culture and values and 4.1 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Air Force Research Laboratory?

Intern (24) , AFRL Scholar (8) , Aerospace Engineer (7) , Research Engineer (7) , Engineer (6) , Research Intern (6) , Electronics Engineer (5) , Branch Chief (4) , Contract Specialist (4) , Internship (4) , Research Assistant (4) , Research Physicist (4) , Senior Research Engineer (4) , Software Engineer (4) , Computer Scientist (3)

What are the pros of working at Air Force Research Laboratory according to real employee reviews?

"Great people and teams." ((in 27 reviews)); "Great work/life balance" ((in 12 reviews)); "Great benefits and interesting work." ((in 10 reviews)); "Great people, job security, and job gratification" ((in 9 reviews)); "Everyone is kind and easy to work with." ((in 5 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Air Force Research Laboratory according to real employee reviews?

"Low pay even with locality." ((in 12 reviews)); "HR is as bad as management at most locations, HR is there to promote their buddies and people who suck up to them, if you are not among their friends paperwork and any benefit is slow to non" ((in 8 reviews)); "Sounds good, but opportunities to contribute (give presentations and lead meetings) are handed out to friends and personnel with more tenure." ((in 6 reviews)); "Most engineers become managers and do not do engineering." ((in 4 reviews)); "The culture is extreme territorial" ((in 4 reviews))

What are the top reviewed Air Force Research Laboratory locations?

Dayton , Albuquerque , Rome , Wright Patterson AFB , Kirtland AFB , Wpafb , Eglin AFB , Kirtland , Edwards , Wright Patterson , Arlington , San Antonio , Fairborn , Edwards AFB , Utica , El Paso , Columbus , Lancaster , Mission Viejo , Livermore , Colorado Springs , Seattle , Latrobe , Niceville , Fort Sam Houston , Beavercreek

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Air Force Research Laboratory

Part of US Air Force

Air Force Research Laboratory reviews

4.3

93% would recommend to a friend

(186 total reviews)

Jason E. Bartolomei

100% approve of CEO

84% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.5

Work/Life balance

4.3

Culture & values

4.3

Diversity & inclusion

4.1

Career opportunities

4.0

Senior management

4.0

Compensation and benefits

Air Force Research Laboratory has an employee rating of 4.3 out of 5 stars, based on 186 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an excellent working experience there. The Air Force Research Laboratory employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Aerospace & Defense industry (3.6 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

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Reviews by job title

186 reviews

3.0

Jul 22, 2026

Good PTO and flexibility, but projects lack quality

Compliance specialist

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Good PTO Flexible and good schedule

Cons

No good software engineering projects

4.0

Jun 24, 2026

Stability and research opportunities only hindered by bureaucracy

General research engineer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Stability, cutting edge research, and federal insurance benefits

Cons

Slow pay raises, government bureaucracy

3.0

Jun 23, 2026

Positive culture but bureaucracy limits impact

Software engineer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Good work-life balance, friendly and intelligent office culture, exposure to interesting work.

Cons

Bureaucracy limits your ability to make impact as a technical employee, contractors do most of the technical work while you send emails and attend meetings.

Viewing 1 - 3 of 186 Reviews

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Ratings by demographic groups

Reviews by job title

Good PTO and flexibility, but projects lack quality

Stability and research opportunities only hindered by bureaucracy

Positive culture but bureaucracy limits impact

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