Is NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory a good company to work for?

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory has an overall rating of 3.9 out of 5, based on over 1,851 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has decreased by 1% over the last 12 months. 70% of employees would recommend working at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory to a friend and 17% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory have been left by employees working as Summer Intern , Software Engineer(Internship) and Intern .

Does NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.5 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. This rating has decreased by 3% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory?

70% of NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory 4.1 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.9 for culture and values and 3.5 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory?

Intern (136) , Systems Engineer (63) , Mechanical Engineer (38) , Software Engineer (37) , Internship (32) , Engineer (31) , Software Engineer(Internship) (25) , Summer Intern (22) , Postdoctoral Fellow (19) , Intern - Hourly (15) , Senior Software Engineer (15) , Member Of Technical Staff (13) , Research Intern (13) , Engineering Intern (12) , Software Engineer Intern (12)

What are the pros of working at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory according to real employee reviews?

"Full of open minded and great people willing to help" ((in 184 reviews)); "A good work/life balance with a 9/80 schedule where you work 9 hours each work day and get every other Friday off." ((in 78 reviews)); "Good benefits when properly employed (is what I heard)" ((in 47 reviews)); "Has a great campus environment." ((in 44 reviews)); "Everyone was friendly and knowledgable." ((in 40 reviews))

What are the cons of working at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory according to real employee reviews?

"Low pay and quite stressful at times" ((in 88 reviews)); "Low salary paid to entry level engineers compared to industry." ((in 44 reviews)); "No or limited parking for interns" ((in 40 reviews)); "Recent layoffs weren't as transparent." ((in 34 reviews)); "They promote the best and/or favorite engineers to be managers, which kills two birds with one stone: you now have a bad manager who doesn't want to be there and you've lost a brilliant technical person." ((in 22 reviews))

What are employees saying about NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory layoffs in 2026?

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

What are the top reviewed NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory locations?

Pasadena , Los Angeles , La Canada Flintridge , La Canada , Houston , South Pasadena , New York , Bozeman , Pasadena , San Antonio , Glendale , Thousand Oaks , Riverside , Berkeley , Cambridge , Califon , East Brunswick , Huntsville , Tempe , Omaha , Texas City , Morgantown , Knoxville , Altadena , Culver City , Huntington Beach , Irvine , Orange , Pomona , San Gabriel

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NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory reviews

3.9

70% would recommend to a friend

(1,128 total reviews)

Dr. Laurie Leshin

59% approve of CEO

17% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.1

Work/Life balance

4.0

Diversity & inclusion

3.9

Culture & values

3.5

Compensation and benefits

3.5

Career opportunities

3.0

Senior management

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory has an employee rating of 3.9 out of 5 stars, based on 1,128 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Aerospace & Defense industry (3.6 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

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Parent or family caregiver

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Reviews by job title

1K reviews

4.0

Jun 13, 2011

A great place to pursue academic interests at an advanced level.

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Surrounded by great people who love their jobs and can leave at the end of the day feeling satisfied with your work. As a young academic, found people very willing to go out of their way to answer my questions and mentor me.

Cons

Worked here without having a PhD. Talk about an uphill battle, with no prospect for advancement without the degree. That is just part of the deal and not meant to be a devastating critique. While the lab might not be as political as your typical academic department, there is a fair amount of petty politicking that goes on.

4.0

May 31, 2011

Cool place to work -- everyone's impressed with how smart you are when you tell them you're at JPL

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

You're working with a lot of smart people You're a member of the JPL/CalTech community Nice part of the world to work and live ...and... You get to work on space missions! How cool is that?

Cons

The technology is not always as advanced as you'd think Bureaucratic NASA culture, but mitigated by the CalTech connection Maybe a few too many "lifers"

4.0

May 21, 2011

It is a great place to work, with great people, and a great mission... however it can be political.

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

- You get to work with some very brilliant people. - The pay is decent. - Great hours and time off policy. - You get to work for a company that shoots stuff in to space... need I say more?

Cons

- If you work in the OCIO (Office of the Chief Information Officer), you have to deal with a politcal environment and have to contend with some over-management. - It can get a little old just to make websites.

Viewing 1075 - 1077 of 1,128 Reviews

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A great place to pursue academic interests at an advanced level.

Cool place to work -- everyone's impressed with how smart you are when you tell them you're at JPL

It is a great place to work, with great people, and a great mission... however it can be political.

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