Is RAND a good company to work for?

RAND has an overall rating of 4.0 out of 5, based on over 555 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has been stable over the past 12 months. 73% of employees would recommend working at RAND to a friend and 35% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about RAND have been left by employees working as Summer Associate , Research Assistant and Assistant Policy Researcher .

Does RAND pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, RAND employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.7 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at RAND. This rating has improved by 5% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at RAND?

73% of RAND employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated RAND 4.3 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 RAND?

Research Assistant (45) , Administrative Assistant (22) , Assistant Policy Researcher (17) , Analyst (15) , Researcher (15) , Summer Associate (12) , Manager (7) , Policy Analyst (7) , Assistant Policy Analyst (6) , Finance (6) , Policy Researcher (5) , Senior Analyst (5) , Associate Policy Researcher (4) , Behavioral Scientist (4) , Senior Political Scientist (4)

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

"Great people and very intellectual" ((in 69 reviews)); "Great location and colleagues with expertise in their field." ((in 61 reviews)); "The benefits for time off and health insurance can be good." ((in 49 reviews)); "Very collegial, exciting and impactful work, and lots of smart people to work with." ((in 11 reviews)); "Great work environment." ((in 8 reviews))

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

"Low pay relative to outside (non" ((in 19 reviews)); "salaries are low (at least at the Europe office)" ((in 13 reviews)); "Long hours because of gripping topics and always juggling priorities on different projects." ((in 12 reviews)); "1, That flat management, no boss thing means no one is micro" ((in 12 reviews)); "Employees stay a long time and therefore there is not much room for upward mobility." ((in 8 reviews))

What are employees saying about RAND layoffs in 2026?

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

What are the top reviewed RAND locations?

Santa Monica , Washington , Arlington , Pittsburgh , Los Angeles , New York , San Francisco , Boston , Idaho Falls , Chicago , Bristow , Randolph , Austin , Honolulu , Arcadia , Woodland Hills , Pawtucket , Baltimore , Central , Crystal City

RAND reviews

4.0

73% would recommend to a friend

(503 total reviews)

Jason Matheny

53% approve of CEO

35% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.3

Work/Life balance

3.9

Culture & values

3.8

Diversity & inclusion

3.7

Compensation and benefits

3.5

Career opportunities

3.3

Senior management

RAND has an employee rating of 4.0 out of 5 stars, based on 503 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The RAND employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Management & Consulting industry (3.7 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

503 reviews

2.0

Dec 5, 2025

A Horrible Place

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Met some nice people who were passionate about the mission and the value of RAND for the government.

Cons

Leadership is really atrocious from middle managers to the CEO. I have worked at private businesses that included nicer people than the managers at RAND. It is heartbreaking to see how people are treated by unqualified managers who are only in their positions because they refuse to stand up for the mission or have values.

4.0

Aug 20, 2024

Great place for young professionals; gets brutally competitive as one levels up

Senior political scientist

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great people and fascinating work.

Cons

The internal marketplace is brutal, with people hoarding coverage and monopolizing access to clients. Not relevant for junior hires, however.

4.0

Oct 13, 2023

Great mission, wonderful colleagues, some changes long overdue

Finance

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

RAND's mission is truly inspiring and it makes a difference in the day to day - everyone around me was proud to work for an organization that is working hard to solve the world's most complex problems. I worked with many smart and hard working people and learned a lot.

Cons

There are some managers and even senior leaders that are simply not meeting the requirements of their jobs, are very ineffective at leading teams, it's pretty much broadly known to everyone that works with them or for them, and yet they still have their jobs. Support staff are sometimes treated disrespectfully by the researchers.

Viewing 73 - 75 of 503 Reviews

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RAND

RAND reviews

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Reviews by job title

A Horrible Place

Great place for young professionals; gets brutally competitive as one levels up

Great mission, wonderful colleagues, some changes long overdue

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