Is NIH a good company to work for?

NIH has an overall rating of 4.1 out of 5, based on over 2,843 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has decreased by 3% over the last 12 months. 80% of employees would recommend working at NIH to a friend and 60% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about NIH have been left by employees working as Postdoctoral Researcher , Intern and Summer Intern .

Does NIH pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, NIH employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.9 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at NIH. This rating has decreased by 2% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at NIH?

80% of NIH employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated NIH 4.1 out of 5 for work life balance, 4.2 for culture and values and 3.9 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at NIH?

Postdoctoral Fellow (298) , Research Fellow (124) , Postbaccalaureate IRTA (103) , Staff Scientist (63) , Postdoctoral Research Fellow (40) , Intern (38) , Research Assistant (38) , Summer Intern (29) , Post-Baccalaureate Fellow (27) , Scientist (25) , Research Scientist (23) , Biologist (22) , Program Analyst (21) , Post Doctoral Fellow (20) , Visiting Fellow (20)

What are the pros of working at NIH according to real employee reviews?

"The people are great and having a role in biomedical research is rewarding" ((in 136 reviews)); "Benefits are great and as expected" ((in 124 reviews)); "good work/life balance and super friendly teammates" ((in 81 reviews)); "Great lab and colleagues." ((in 59 reviews)); "Great opportunity to be mentored and grow as a scientist" ((in 51 reviews))

What are the cons of working at NIH according to real employee reviews?

"Low salaries and lack of benefit." ((in 73 reviews)); "Very little recourse for bad management." ((in 28 reviews)); "Corrupt leadership, erosion of standards" ((in 13 reviews)); "Lots of bureaucracy and red tape to navigate" ((in 12 reviews)); "Certain managers (and this is a systematic problem government wide) that focus on promotion based on "time in grade" rather than job performance." ((in 9 reviews))

What are employees saying about NIH layoffs in 2026?

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

What are the top reviewed NIH locations?

Bethesda , Rockville , Washington , Baltimore , Frederick , Durham , Gaithersburg , Silver Spring , Research Triangle Park , New York , North Bethesda , Phoenix , Raleigh , Boston , Herndon , Maryland Heights , Houston , Columbia , Bowie , Cambridge , Shady Grove , Little Falls , New Brunswick , Wayne , Princeton , Chicago , Kewanee , Annandale , Clifton , Reston

NIH reviews

4.1

80% would recommend to a friend

(2,341 total reviews)

Francis S. Collins

82% approve of CEO

60% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.2

Culture & values

4.2

Diversity & inclusion

4.1

Work/Life balance

3.9

Compensation and benefits

3.9

Career opportunities

3.8

Senior management

NIH has an employee rating of 4.1 out of 5 stars, based on 2,341 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an excellent working experience there. The NIH employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology industry (3.5 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

2K reviews

5.0

Feb 18, 2015

Wonderful. Great networking opportunities. Job security.

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Wonderful. Great networking opportunities. Job security. Great cafeteria, great benefits. Near DC... great social scene and job opportunities. Metro accessible.

Cons

Expensive area to live in. Not very diverse. Expensive area to live in. Not very diverse. Expensive area to live in. Not very diverse. Expensive area to live in. Not very diverse. Expensive area to live in. Not very diverse.

4.0

Feb 9, 2015

Top Biomedical Research Institutions, Great starting place for postdoc, staff scientists and tenure-track investigators.

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Top research organization supported by government. No need for apply for grants. Good place tenure-track investigators and staff scientists. Great stipend for intramural postdoc fellows.

Cons

Many administrative rules and ethics policy that impede scientific exchange with extramural community, especially with biotech industry.

5.0

Nov 20, 2014

Great Place to work for a researcher.

Program director

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Help make America healthier! At its best NIH gives you amazing opportunities to help science, via a mix of grant making, contract administration and research.

Cons

Its the Federal Government, and all that entails. Plus, NIH suffers from a focus on disease and on medical interventions. This can be frustrating for staff with a prevention orientation. Additionally, NIH is not very nimble, we move with glacial slowness.

Viewing 163 - 165 of 2,341 Reviews

Top companies for "Compensation and Benefits" near you

Johnson & Johnson

4.1★Compensation & Benefits

Pfizer

3.7★Compensation & Benefits

GSK

3.9★Compensation & Benefits

Merck

4.1★Compensation & Benefits

Jobs at NIH

Staff Clinician

Bethesda, MD

View job

Emergency Services Dispatcher (OA)

NIH

NIH reviews

Ratings by category

Ratings by demographic groups

Reviews by job title

Wonderful. Great networking opportunities. Job security.

Top Biomedical Research Institutions, Great starting place for postdoc, staff scientists and tenure-track investigators.

Great Place to work for a researcher.

Top companies for "Compensation and Benefits" near you

Jobs at NIH

NIH reviews FAQs

Want the inside scoop on your own company?

Bowls

Followed companies

Job searches

Top companies for "Compensation and Benefits" near you

NIH reviews FAQs

Jobs at NIH