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 764 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 (36) , 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 112 reviews)); "Great benefits and overall great time as an intern!" ((in 81 reviews)); "Good work life balance for specialists" ((in 48 reviews)); "Excellent opportunities to learn on impactful projects." ((in 16 reviews)); "My experience there was phenomenal, I got to work with so many great students along with my great colleagues." ((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 6 reviews)); "Compensation is highly dependent upon academic credentials (degree)" ((in 5 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

(510 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 510 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

510 reviews

5.0

Jul 26, 2014

Great Experience

Technical staff

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Interesting work, opportunity to work with and learn from very smart people. Work-life balance is very good and provides a lot of flexibility, especially if you are effective in your role/job.

Cons

The culture varies quite a bit from group to group, you experience will vary depending on which group you are working in. Getting access to necessary data from sponsors can be very frustrating and time-consuming.

MIT Lincoln Laboratory Response

11y

Thank you for your insight. We do see a trend of change in mission areas and areas of emphasis. We are are confident that the strong work life balance and high quality workforce will be attractive to those with different skill sets. Your advice is well taken as the competitive workplace does change.

3.0

Jul 20, 2014

Great people, Great benefits, Needs some updating.

Information assurance officer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great Pension Plan (5-6%) Annual Salary. (Takes 3 years to be fully vested) Great 401k matching (5%) Annual Salary. Great job training, many classes paid for by MIT Lincoln Laboratory. Great Future career development. Steady Employment. On site Medical and Fitness Facilities. Great Time off and Holidays. MIT Federal Credit Union Membership.

Cons

Low Annual Pay Raises (1-3%) Annual Salary. Low Promotion Raises (2-5%) Annual Salary. Salary is not open for discussion. Slow to react to industry wage changes. Retention Bonuses given when large departures occur. After 3-5 years experience, you can make a lot more at another company. Human Resources takes a very long time to fill vacant positions. (6 Months - 1 year for Technical Staff) (1-2 years for Support Staff). Good Olde Boy Establishment. This company is not a meritocracy, recent MIT graduates see this and leave for Meritocracies. Severe wasteful spending on projects and materials. Large Generation Gaps exist, those who worked here when it was great have stayed as it turned to mediocre, and they are retiring at an increasing rate. Cafeteria has outrageous prices and terrible food. HR Stands for Human Roadblocks If you have a real issue, go to campus. These Human Roadblocks are there to play interference with real issues.

MIT Lincoln Laboratory Response

11y

It appears that you have given a lot of thought to your comments. Hopefully you discussed your concerns with your management prior to departing. If you did not have that opportunity, I will be happy to discuss in more detail. Please feel free to contact me directly. Your input will be seriously considered.

3.0

Jul 11, 2014

Great place if you work for the right department

Software engineer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

There are many experts in their field who work here, so there are a lot of in-house resources to utilize. There is always something new to learn. Flexible working schedules are great. Good benefits.

Cons

Pay scale is seriously out of sync for a lot of jobs. Management is almost always promoted from the ranks within, so that tends to put people who are very intelligent in their field into a management position that many are not equipped for. Promotions are hard to come by, as well.

MIT Lincoln Laboratory Response

11y

We are pleased that you have seen the level expertise that is at the Lab first hand. The constant learning and flexible work environment is something we are proud of. Salary concerns are usually an individual issue. Careful study of our salary structure does not indicate a trend toward being "out of synch". High retention and offer acceptance rates would appear to indicate salary competitiveness. Individual salary concerns can be addressed via a number of channels, including HR. Ongoing training in management topics continues to be a focus. We are admittedly a somewhat flat organization in structure. That can reduce promotions per se but this is offset by exceptional breadth and depth of opportunity. We appreciate your comments.

Viewing 448 - 450 of 510 Reviews

Jobs at MIT Lincoln Laboratory

Group Administrative Assistant

Administrative Assistant V