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 3.9 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at MIT Lincoln Laboratory. This rating has decreased by 5% 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 4.4 out of 5 for work life balance, 4.1 for culture and values and 4.0 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 105 reviews)); "Great benefits and overall great time as an intern!" ((in 81 reviews)); "Good work life balance for specialists" ((in 50 reviews)); "Excellent opportunities to learn on impactful projects." ((in 16 reviews)); "Overall really great staff to work with." ((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)); "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)); "Compensation is ~20% below market (including no equity nor bonuses)." ((in 8 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 category

4.4

Work/Life balance

4.3

Diversity & inclusion

4.1

Culture & values

4.0

Career opportunities

3.9

Compensation and benefits

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

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

512 reviews

5.0

May 4, 2015

Engaging work with great work/life balance

Technical staff

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

I work with talented and dedicated co-workers. The problems we address are multidisciplinary and interesting. I have regular opportunities to learn new skills in the course of work, The benefits are very good and the work-life balance is conducive to family life.

Cons

I've been with the lab for a little less than a year and have encountered no significant cons so far.

MIT Lincoln Laboratory Response

11y

We are pleased that you first year has gone well. Work life balance is something that is important at Lincoln Laboratory. Interesting, multidisciplinary work that has is something that many of our staff find at the Lab. With the breadth and depth of our work program, we can offer you technical challenge for what we hope will be a long and rewarding career. Thank you for your comments.

5.0

Apr 30, 2015

Great place to work

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Friendly and helpful culture. Lots of great cutting edge technical work.

Cons

Pay raises a little stagnant

MIT Lincoln Laboratory Response

11y

Thank you for taking the time to comment. It is good that you are finding the culture hear to be friendly and helpful. The cutting edge work that you refer to is best completed in a synergistic, team setting. Keeping the compensation program competitive is an ongoing challenge. I think that when you look at total compensation, salary plus benefits, you will find that our programs are on par with local structure. Thanks again.

4.0

Apr 20, 2015

Awesome Technical Job, but with serious 'career' deficiencies

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

From the technical aspect, Lincoln Labs is a dream job. We get to work on cutting edge projects with significant financial backing (at least in my group). Small project teams leads to high levels of project ownership and in depth understanding of complex systems. The management (generally) all have scientific or engineering background which is a breath of fresh air compared to other technical workplaces with MBAs trying to make engineering decisions. Good work life balance, flexible hours all that good stuff.

Cons

There are two particular issues I have with the lab. The first is how the lab chooses to promote employees. In each of the three years I have worked there, after my 'substantial' raises each review period, my take home pay decreased. While I was getting a ~3% raise, the tax increases and health care increases grew at a higher rate. In addition, there is no particular way to get a raise other than getting a new degree, in my case a PHD. The other issue is location. If you are a fan of Massachusetts, this does not matter, but Boston has worn me out. Not getting paid appropriately and living in a place I don't really like have become a bigger burden, out weighing my enjoyment of my work.

MIT Lincoln Laboratory Response

10y

We are pleased that you consider Lincoln Laboratory a technical dream job. The are many factors that impact compensation and these are all considered in detail in managing our salary and benefits programs. As a not for profit employer, there are some constraints within we must work. Nonetheless, frequent analysis tells us that our salaries are competitive within the marketplace. Increases in taxes and health care progress at a rate that is sometimes unpredictable but we do actively review our structure to incure that we are keeping pace. Massachusetts, particularly the Boston area has become one of the more expensive employment markets. On the plus side, there is a lot of value in terms of opportunity and return on investment in real estate. For any number of reasons, the Northeast is not for everyone. Perhaps you will have opportunity to transfer to one of our other locations in the future.

Viewing 427 - 429 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 05-59 | CO-OP (IoT) | Cyber System Assessments | July - December 2026

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