Does Populous pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Populous employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.4 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Populous. This rating has decreased by 5% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Populous?

70% of Populous employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Populous 2.9 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.7 for culture and values and 3.6 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Populous?

Architect (42) , Architectural Designer (28) , Architectural Assistant (9) , Designer (8) , Associate (5) , BIM Coordinator (4) , Landscape Architect (4) , Senior Architect (4) , Architectural Graduate (3) , Senior Architectural Designer (3) , Senior Designer (3) , Arch Designer II (2) , Architect Technician (2) , Architecture Designer (2) , Graduate Architect (2)

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

"Great people to work with" ((in 22 reviews)); "Great culture and people who are easy to work with" ((in 13 reviews)); "Nice projects, good benefits, parties" ((in 9 reviews)); "Nice office" ((in 7 reviews)); "Great place to work and awesome colleagues." ((in 5 reviews))

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

"Hours are long and unsustainable." ((in 9 reviews)); "Low salaries are becoming a problem for a lot of people in the company" ((in 8 reviews)); "Poor leadership" ((in 7 reviews)); "Overworked, not always reward for efforts, below average pay, large egos, clicky groups, boys club, poor systems in place/ lots of inefficiencies and not a culture for people juggling a family as the long hours are an expectation." ((in 5 reviews)); "Bad managers" ((in 4 reviews))

What are employees saying about Populous layoffs in 2026?

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

What are the top reviewed Populous locations?

Kansas City , Dallas , Denver , New York , Los Angeles , Houston

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Populous

Populous reviews

3.6

70% would recommend to a friend

(185 total reviews)

Bruce Miller

71% approve of CEO

60% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

3.7

Culture & values

3.6

Diversity & inclusion

3.6

Career opportunities

3.4

Compensation and benefits

3.0

Senior management

2.9

Work/Life balance

Populous has an employee rating of 3.6 out of 5 stars, based on 185 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Populous employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Construction, Repair & Maintenance Services industry (3.7 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

185 reviews

1.0

Dec 1, 2021

Overworked

Architect

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Large scale projects and budgets Decent benefits

Cons

Poor project staffing Too much overtime required No career development planning Frat environment

4.0

Jun 2, 2017

Information Technology

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great atmosphere, amazing people, great benefits package, regular raises, annual bonus, exciting technologies in the stack and other cultural perks.

Cons

The nomination process for promotion is driven by company officers at the associate principal level or above. If you are not a designer it is extremely unlikely that you will make associate status with a chance to progress through the officer rankings.

4.0

Apr 30, 2026

Populous

Architectural designer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Good people and good benefits

Cons

Hard company to navigate and make career progress

Viewing 22 - 24 of 185 Reviews

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Jobs at Populous

Project Planning Coordinator

Project Planning Coordinator

Administrative Assistant

Project Planning Coordinator - Events