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 766 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 104 reviews)); "Great Benefits and I love contributing to what the Laboratory does" ((in 81 reviews)); "Good work life balance for specialists" ((in 49 reviews)); "Excellent opportunities to learn on impactful projects." ((in 18 reviews)); "My experience there was phenomenal, I got to work with so many great students along with my great colleagues." ((in 14 reviews))

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

"i.e. pay was low." ((in 29 reviews)); "3%) Annual Salary." ((in 22 reviews)); "Possibilities of managers who aren't great at running projects leading to alot of frustrating days" ((in 8 reviews)); "Extra time commitments (extra hours and travel) are demanded without any compensation or warning." ((in 7 reviews)); "Flat management structure so promotions are few and far in between" ((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

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 demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

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).

Reviews by job title

512 reviews

4.0

Nov 20, 2016

Great if you're a patriotic engineer that values stability and family time over pure career advancement

Assistant technical staff

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

- A lot smart, talented people work here. - There are some very exciting projects to work on. - Good benefits. - Excellent work-life balance. Very few other tech companies respect your time as much. - Job security. People work here for decades, unusual in tech. - You get the warm, fuzzy feeling of knowing your work is helping your nation and your world.

Cons

- Advancement is largely determined by what degree you have. If you have a bachelor's degree, don't expect to be promoted even if you work here for years. - Pay is less than at other tech companies. It's a government contractor, so that's to be expected. - Relying on government funding is very frustrating. Great projects die because the government is afraid to invest. - Security is important and necessary, but it can put up frustrating barriers at times. For example, a software tool we use happens to be developed in a foreign country. When we invited one of the developers to give us training, he wasn't able to touch any computers while he was here.

MIT Lincoln Laboratory Response

9y

Thank you for taking the time to comment. We actively review compensation and continue to seek improvement. As a Federally Funded Research and Development Center we are able to pay competitively but we do have to meet guidelines that are not common in industry. Overall, we find that our most successful employees are motivated more by the ability to contribute to national security than compensation. That being said, our employees enjoy a competitive salary structure and a strong total compensation package.

4.0

Nov 19, 2016

Associate Staff

Associate staff

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

MIT Lincoln Laboratory is a great place to work. The benefits and compensation are fantastic. You also get to work with some of the smartest people in the industry on some really interesting projects. Lincoln Laboratory also offers many opportunities for professional development and mentoring. Everyone at the lab works incredibly hard but it is still a stable environment.

Cons

The downside to working at MIT Lincoln Laboratory is that there isn't a lot of upward mobility, especially if you do not have a PhD. Salaries are also capped fairly early in your career but the overall benefits package is difficult to beat. Working 12 hours days is fairly common but the work is interesting and you are always learning so it isn't too bad.

MIT Lincoln Laboratory Response

9y

We appreciate your comments. As you have pointed out, Lincoln Laboratory has a lot to offer for people who are motivated to work on important national security technology. Your statement that salaries may be capped is likely a misinterpretation of policy. We will be happy to discuss that in more detail. The correlation of salary and performance is a key tenet of our system. Thank you for your insights.

4.0

Nov 18, 2016

Security Deparment

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Ability to move around different positions in the LAB, Educational Benefits, and great Retirement

Cons

Lots of turnaround on employees, underpaid versus industry standard

MIT Lincoln Laboratory Response

9y

The Security Department is a strong point at the Lab as they do a great job fulfilling an important function. There will be continued effort to insure that compensation remains competitive. Thank you for your comments.

Viewing 361 - 363 of 512 Reviews

Jobs at MIT Lincoln Laboratory

Group 77 | CO-OP | Rapid Prototyping - Aero/Mech | July - December 2026

Group 07-77 | CO-OP | Rapid Prototyping - Electrical Engineering | July - December 2026

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

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

Summer Office Assistant | Financial Services Dept. | Summer 2026