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 (43) , 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 231 reviews)); "Great people you work with and a relatively easy job with very easy to understand ladder to climb." ((in 171 reviews)); "Very interesting place to work and colleagues are great" ((in 44 reviews)); "Great Coworkers (for the most part)" ((in 40 reviews)); "This is a great opportunity if you just graduated from college and want to get some lab/animal science experience." ((in 37 reviews))

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

"sites are disorganized and pay is low" ((in 177 reviews)); "Management is poor and people who are in charge lack knowledge of CDMO" ((in 162 reviews)); "The low salary also makes it hard to subsequently ask for more at another company." ((in 115 reviews)); "Long hours are common and they happen with little or no warning and frequently (at least a couple times a week)." ((in 40 reviews)); "upper management is awful, lots of work to do which overwhelms people easily." ((in 34 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

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Charles River Laboratories

Charles River Laboratories reviews

3.2

49% would recommend to a friend

(2,377 total reviews)

Birgit Girshick

64% approve of CEO

32% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

3.7

Diversity & inclusion

3.2

Culture & values

3.2

Work/Life balance

3.1

Career opportunities

3.0

Compensation and benefits

2.7

Senior management

Charles River Laboratories has an employee rating of 3.2 out of 5 stars, based on 2,377 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).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

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Parent or family caregiver

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Reviews by job title

2K reviews

4.0

Feb 24, 2025

Great job

Sr. qa auditor

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great pay and flexible schedule in QA.

Cons

Medical coverage could be better. Economy resulted in decreased business and mass layoffs.

5.0

Feb 23, 2025

Great place to work

Validation engineer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

The structure of the department I worked in was very well managed and worked together as a cohesive unit. The company environment and atmosphere felt like a family where everyone was willing to work with anyone and help out as much as possible. There was also 100% employer-paid medical!! All employees ideas and voices were heard especially when Charles River Laboratories acquired the company.

Cons

Due to the employer paid medical - salaries were lower. During the acquisition, several employee questions were met with uncertainty. I otherwise couldn't think of anything negative about working here.

3.0

Feb 22, 2025

Think about it

Senior technologist

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

They pay pretty good. Hours are flexible.

Cons

A lot of work, very physically demanding. Alot of favoritism. A lot of over time .

Viewing 265 - 267 of 2,377 Reviews

Jobs at Charles River Laboratories

Director Global FP&A Reporting - REMOTE

Director FP&A Insights and Analytics - REMOTE

Business Process Senior Manager (REMOTE)

Cost Accountant II (REMOTE)

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