Does Charles River Laboratories pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Charles River Laboratories employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.0 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Charles River Laboratories. This rating has been stable over the past 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Charles River Laboratories?

49% of Charles River Laboratories employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Charles River Laboratories 3.2 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.2 for culture and values and 3.1 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Charles River Laboratories?

Lab Technician (78) , Scientist (69) , Animal Care Technician (65) , Research Technician (55) , Technician (52) , Analyst (51) , Research Associate (46) , Research Scientist (42) , Supervisor (37) , Research Assistant (36) , Laboratory Technician (31) , Study Director (27) , Project Manager (25) , Manager (22) , Associate Scientist (20)

What are the pros of working at Charles River Laboratories according to real employee reviews?

"The ability to move around within the company is relatively good and the benefits are good." ((in 239 reviews)); "Great people you work with and a relatively easy job with very easy to understand ladder to climb." ((in 166 reviews)); "Great people and team to work with" ((in 45 reviews)); "Great Coworkers (for the most part)" ((in 43 reviews)); "Flexible hours (ad hoc) are a nice perq for those who have to juggle family responsibilities and/or a long commute." ((in 40 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Charles River Laboratories according to real employee reviews?

"sites are disorganized and pay is low" ((in 180 reviews)); "Management is poor and people who are in charge lack knowledge of CDMO" ((in 158 reviews)); "The low salary also makes it hard to subsequently ask for more at another company." ((in 113 reviews)); "A lot of managers don't know what actually occurs in their department." ((in 33 reviews)); "poor leadership and refuses to take responsibility" ((in 31 reviews))

What are employees saying about Charles River Laboratories layoffs in 2026?

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

What are the top reviewed Charles River Laboratories locations?

Wilmington , Mattawan , Reno , Ashland , Horsham , Shrewsbury , Memphis , Boston , Charleston , Worcester , Chicago , Bethesda , Raleigh , South San Francisco , Malvern , Wayne , Cambridge , Skokie , San Diego , Rockville , Morrisville , Newark , Frederick , Philadelphia , Spencerville , Kalamazoo , Wilmington , Durham , Kingston , Catskill

Charles River Laboratories reviews

3.1

49% would recommend to a friend

(2,374 total reviews)

Birgit Girshick

64% approve of CEO

32% positive business outlook

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Charles River Laboratories has an employee rating of 3.1 out of 5 stars, based on 2,374 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Charles River Laboratories 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

5.0

Aug 6, 2025

great place to work

Technician

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

a lot of growth opportunities

Cons

salary on the low side

Charles River Laboratories Response

11mo

Thank you for your kind words and for being part of our team. We’re grateful for your contributions and wish you continued success in your next chapter.

1.0

Aug 5, 2025

Do better!

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

•Teams get a long well •Pretty easy to climb the ladder if you work hard •you get the experience you need

Cons

•Senior leadership is a joke! They hired a new guy who seems to want to wipe out his entire team. I saw 6or 7 people leave in the last few months. All of which were senior level associates! •There is little to no honest communication •Everyone seems panicked and stressed •No work life balance expect to work long days, every weekend, and every holiday! •Low on the pay scale. Same position different company getting 20k more! •Multiple meetings about change, but nothing actually changes

3.0

Aug 4, 2025

Rather chaotic

Scientific applications specialist

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Good people that care about what they do.

Cons

Too many different things going on.

Viewing 130 - 132 of 2,374 Reviews

Jobs at Charles River Laboratories

Animal Care Technician II

Animal Care Technician

TEMP Packing Assembler