Does National Security Agency pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, National Security Agency employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.6 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at National Security Agency. This rating has been stable over the past 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at National Security Agency?

73% of National Security Agency employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated National Security Agency 3.9 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.3 for culture and values and 4.0 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at National Security Agency?

Analyst (17) , Software Engineer (13) , Intelligence Analyst (11) , Intern (9) , Mathematician (6) , Data Scientist (5) , Manager (5) , Police Officer (5) , Contract Specialist (4) , Language Analyst (4) , Program Manager (4) , Recruiter (4) , Signals Analyst (4) , Software Developer (4) , Applied Research Mathematician (3)

What are the pros of working at National Security Agency according to real employee reviews?

"Good benefits such as insurance" ((in 30 reviews)); "Meet great people" ((in 25 reviews)); "Pay was good for a co" ((in 16 reviews)); "Good work life balance since you can't take anything out of the SCIF to work at home." ((in 16 reviews)); "Great job security." ((in 12 reviews))

What are the cons of working at National Security Agency according to real employee reviews?

"Bad management, promotion is not fair," ((in 14 reviews)); "Parking may be terrible" ((in 13 reviews)); "Salary also doesn't move up very fast." ((in 10 reviews)); "Bad leadership" ((in 8 reviews)); "There is still quite a bit of nepotism." ((in 4 reviews))

What National Security Agency locations have received the highest employee ratings?

San Antonio , Washington , Augusta , Columbia , Fort George G Meade , Baltimore , Fort Meade

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National Security Agency

National Security Agency reviews

3.7

73% would recommend to a friend

(345 total reviews)

Gen. Joshua M. Rudd, USA

Not enough data to show CEO approval

53% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.0

Career opportunities

3.9

Work/Life balance

3.7

Diversity & inclusion

3.6

Compensation and benefits

3.3

Culture & values

3.3

Senior management

National Security Agency has an employee rating of 3.7 out of 5 stars, based on 345 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The National Security Agency employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Government & Public Administration industry (3.6 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

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Reviews by job title

345 reviews

5.0

Oct 17, 2025

NSA review

System vulnerability analyst

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Flexible schedule, great training resources, Great PTO

Cons

Compensation could be a little more competitive and promotion process can be improved.

2.0

Sep 9, 2025

Bunch of workaholics, not a ton of time off.

Systems administrator

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

You get to work on cool tech.

Cons

Not a lot of time away from the office have to have complete dedication to the cause Lots of disparity between upper management and the workers.

3.0

Sep 7, 2025

Fun while it lasted

Computer network defense analyst

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

- One of the most unique work experiences you can imagine. - Lots of training opportunities. - Many ways to move around the agency to experience different work roles and different missions. - The benefits are really good overall. Pay is alright if you're in tech. - Management and supervisors really depend on the office. All of mine were really good.

Cons

- Parking is beyond awful. Wear some good walking shoes. - Having to write an entire dissertation on why you want a promotion each year. - If you aren't on a special pay band, you will struggle to live in the area. Cost of living is insane. With the current admin, it's only going to get worse. - General Haugh deserved better.

Viewing 7 - 9 of 345 Reviews

Jobs at National Security Agency

Instructional Designer

Digital Network Exploitation Analyst

Mechanical Engineer - Facilities

Network System Engineer

Electrical Engineer - Facilities

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NSA review

Bunch of workaholics, not a ton of time off.

Fun while it lasted

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