Is MIT Lincoln Laboratory a good company to work for?

MIT Lincoln Laboratory has an overall rating of 4.4 out of 5, based on over 767 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has decreased by 4% over the last 12 months. 96% of employees would recommend working at MIT Lincoln Laboratory to a friend and 86% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about MIT Lincoln Laboratory have been left by employees working as Summer Research Intern , Research Intern and Summer Intern .

Does MIT Lincoln Laboratory pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, MIT Lincoln Laboratory employees rate their compensation and benefits as 4.0 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at MIT Lincoln Laboratory. This rating has decreased by 4% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at MIT Lincoln Laboratory?

96% of MIT Lincoln Laboratory employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated MIT Lincoln Laboratory 4.5 out of 5 for work life balance, 4.1 for culture and values and 3.9 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at MIT Lincoln Laboratory?

Member Of Technical Staff (37) , Technical Staff (35) , Assistant Staff (32) , Intern (31) , Associate Staff (26) , Summer Research Intern (25) , Software Engineer (23) , Summer Intern (19) , Associate Technical Staff (18) , Research Intern (14) , Assistant Technical Staff (11) , Engineer (11) , Subcontractor (9) , Administrative Assistant (8) , Information Systems Security Officer (ISSO) (8)

What are the pros of working at MIT Lincoln Laboratory according to real employee reviews?

"People that I worked with were great except for some individual from my own team." ((in 107 reviews)); "Great benefits and overall great time as an intern!" ((in 79 reviews)); "Good work life balance for specialists" ((in 52 reviews)); "Great benefits and culture." ((in 23 reviews)); "Overall really great staff to work with." ((in 15 reviews))

What are the cons of working at MIT Lincoln Laboratory according to real employee reviews?

"i.e. pay was low." ((in 28 reviews)); "Salaries are not competitive with industry and raise structure does not provide monetary incentives for performance." ((in 21 reviews)); "Possibilities of managers who aren't great at running projects leading to alot of frustrating days" ((in 8 reviews)); "Flat management structure so promotions are few and far in between" ((in 7 reviews)); "Compensation is highly dependent upon academic credentials (degree)" ((in 6 reviews))

What are employees saying about MIT Lincoln Laboratory layoffs in 2026?

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

What are the top reviewed MIT Lincoln Laboratory locations?

Lexington , Boston , Cambridge , Bedford , Hanscom AFB , Lincoln , Westford , Huntsville , Chicago , Rochester , La Porte , Minneapolis , West Hollywood , Mont Vernon , Colorado Springs , Beverly , Burlington , Lowell , Medford , Tewksbury , Waltham

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MIT Lincoln Laboratory

Part of MIT

MIT Lincoln Laboratory reviews

4.4

96% would recommend to a friend

(512 total reviews)

Eric Evans

98% approve of CEO

86% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.5

Work/Life balance

4.3

Diversity & inclusion

4.1

Culture & values

4.0

Compensation and benefits

3.9

Career opportunities

3.6

Senior management

MIT Lincoln Laboratory has an employee rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars, based on 512 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an excellent working experience there. The MIT Lincoln Laboratory employee rating is 21% above average for employers within the Aerospace & Defense industry (3.6 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

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Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

512 reviews

2.0

Dec 19, 2017

Formerly a Great Company

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Good benefits. If you live in the MIT area, very good health insurance.

Cons

Salary is not commensurate with industry. We are told that since we can say we "work for MIT", our salary is less than what outside non-FFRDCs offer. There is no training for managers. Most are former technical types or engineers that have zero management experience and not competent at all in that area. I have refused to forward any resumes to HR and have told very talented people that I would not recommend MIT/LL to them so I will not submit their resume for employment. There are plenty of other work places that will provide a more satisfactory job experience. Very expensive health insurance if you don't live in the MIT area. Average monthly bill is $700 for familly health insurance with fairly large deductibles. If you work at a field site, you essentially have to subsidise your own health plan. If you can use the MIT clinic, it is great.

MIT Lincoln Laboratory Response

Thank you for taking the time to comment. We are sorry that your experience did not work out as hoped. As a Federally Funded Research and Development Center, we do operate under compensation restrictions that may not be found in the commercial sector. Nonetheless, our salaries are assessed regularly and found to be competitive with industry in general. When areas are identified that are not keeping pace, we are able to correct and bring them to a competitive level. It is true that there are places where more can be made in salary and bonuses. This is offset by a highly stable work program, exceptional work-life balance, and a strong benefits program that includes both pension and 401K payments. Long term employees typically find that they are well provided for. We continually strive to improve in preparing our managers in the complexity of effective leadership and management. As a research facility, the combination of technical depth and management skills is highly desired.

4.0

Dec 10, 2017

Nice people

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

people working there are very nice

Cons

I don't have cons to mention

MIT Lincoln Laboratory Response

This is a very nice review and we are pleased that you are having a positive experience. Thank you.

5.0

Nov 30, 2017

Technical assistant co-op

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Good work environment Freedom to learn on the side

Cons

Sometime there are no work to do for co-ops

MIT Lincoln Laboratory Response

Thank you for your insight. We hope that you will keep us in mind when you stat your full time career.

Viewing 325 - 327 of 512 Reviews

Jobs at MIT Lincoln Laboratory

Group 08-35 | Microfabrication Engineering Co-Op | Microelectronics Laboratory | Jan - Aug 2027

Assistant Team Lead, Special Programs

Group 05-59 | CO-OP | Cyber System Assessments | July - December 2026

Group Administrative Assistant

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