While you might picture a typical NASA engineer as a seasoned male astronaut, the reality is a richly diverse and highly skilled team where over one-third of the permanent workforce are women, over half hold an advanced degree, and a vibrant mix of backgrounds, ages, and experiences come together to push the boundaries of exploration.
Key Takeaways
- 33.7 percent of the NASA permanent workforce are women
- 11.8 percent of NASA employees identify as African American or Black
- 8.4 percent of the NASA workforce identifies as Hispanic or Latino
- 62 percent of NASA civil servants are classified as Aerospace Engineers
- 18,350 total civil service employees are currently employed by NASA
- 12,000 approximate number of Aerospace Technology (AST) positions exist at NASA
- The average salary for a NASA Aerospace Engineer is $135,000
- 65 percent of NASA employees are GS-13 to GS-15 grade level
- The average salary across the entire NASA agency is $121,500
- 3,250 NASA civil servants are employed at Johnson Space Center in Houston
- 3,100 NASA civil servants are employed at Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland
- 2,100 employees work at Kennedy Space Center in Florida
- NASA has been ranked the Best Place to Work in the Federal Government for 12 consecutive years
- NASA's employee engagement score is 84.3 out of 100
- The voluntary turnover rate at NASA is 3.5 percent per year
NASA's workforce is diverse and highly educated but majority male and white.
Compensation & Grade
- The average salary for a NASA Aerospace Engineer is $135,000
- 65 percent of NASA employees are GS-13 to GS-15 grade level
- The average salary across the entire NASA agency is $121,500
- NASA GS-15 employees earn an average of $165,000 per year
- NASA GS-7 entry-level engineers start at approximately $54,000
- 380 NASA employees are in the Senior Executive Service (SES) pay grade
- NASA SES employees earn an average of $192,000 per year
- 12 percent of NASA employees receive recruitment or retention bonuses
- NASA spent $3.2 billion on personnel compensation and benefits in FY 2023
- The highest-paid civil servant at NASA earns $212,100
- 22 percent of NASA employees are at the GS-14 level
- 18 percent of NASA employees are at the GS-15 level
- 25 percent of NASA employees are at the GS-13 level
- Entry-level MS/PhD hires typically start at the GS-11 or GS-12 level
- 4 percent of NASA employees are on a "Scientific and Professional" (ST) pay scale
- 3 percent of NASA employees are on a "Senior Level" (SL) pay scale
- Average locality pay for NASA Houston (JSC) is 30.5 percent
- Average locality pay for NASA Goddard (GSFC/Maryland) is 31.2 percent
- Average locality pay for NASA Ames (California) is 42.6 percent
- Student interns (Pathways) earn between GS-4 and GS-9 depending on credits
- 92 percent of NASA employees receive health insurance benefits
- 85 percent of NASA employees participate in the TSP retirement plan
- NASA offers $5,000 annual student loan repayment for eligible employees
- 15 percent of engineers received a Performance Award over $2,500 in 2022
- The DC metro area (HQ and GSFC) has the highest concentration of GS-15s
- 5 percent of the workforce is on the Wage Grade (WG) blue-collar scale
- NASA’s total payroll budget grew by 4 percent in 2024
- 14 percent of the workforce receives a "Special Rate" for STEM positions
- Remote-only workers at NASA receive locality pay based on their home address
- Tuition assistance programs at NASA cover up to $10,000 for advanced degrees
Compensation & Grade Interpretation
At NASA, you start by calculating rocket trajectories for what feels like peanuts, but if you climb the GS ladder to the stars, you'll eventually be compensated well enough to explain to your friends why that's actually a bargain for someone who keeps astronauts from becoming intercontinental ballistic souvenirs.
Demographics
- 33.7 percent of the NASA permanent workforce are women
- 11.8 percent of NASA employees identify as African American or Black
- 8.4 percent of the NASA workforce identifies as Hispanic or Latino
- 8.3 percent of NASA employees identify as Asian American or Pacific Islander
- 1.1 percent of NASA employees identify as American Indian or Alaska Native
- 66.3 percent of the NASA civil service workforce is male
- 12.3 percent of NASA employees have a reported disability
- 2.3 percent of NASA employees are individuals with targeted disabilities
- The average age of a NASA employee is approximately 47 years old
- 21 percent of the workforce is under the age of 35
- 35 percent of NASA employees are over the age of 50
- 54 percent of NASA employees have a Master's degree or higher
- 15 percent of NASA employees hold a Doctorate degree
- 28 percent of NASA employees are military veterans
- 72 percent of NASA's White-collar workforce is in the Professional/Scientific category
- 4.5 percent of the NASA workforce is under the age of 25
- 12 percent of new hires at NASA in 2023 were Asian
- 14 percent of new hires at NASA in 2023 were Hispanic
- 42 percent of the SES (Senior Executive Service) at NASA is female
- 25 percent of NASA supervisors are female
- 0.1 percent of the workforce identify as Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
- 1.5 percent of NASA employees identify as two or more races
- 18 percent of NASA employees are eligible for retirement within 5 years
- 28 percent of NASA interns come from Minority Serving Institutions
- 40 percent of the NASA Pathways Program participants are female
- 65 percent of NASA employees reside in a household with a spouse or partner
- 75 percent of the workforce is White
- 10 percent of NASA executives identify as Black or African American
- 5 percent of the NASA workforce has been with the agency for over 30 years
- 22 percent of the agency's engineer workforce identify as a minority group
Demographics Interpretation
Despite pioneering the future of space exploration, NASA's internal demographics reveal a grounded reality where two-thirds of its workforce is male, three-quarters are white, and the average employee is 47, highlighting a persistent gap between the stars it reaches for and the diverse talent pool it must still fully harness on Earth.
Occupational Roles
- 62 percent of NASA civil servants are classified as Aerospace Engineers
- 18,350 total civil service employees are currently employed by NASA
- 12,000 approximate number of Aerospace Technology (AST) positions exist at NASA
- 800 employees serve as Administrative Officers within the agency
- 2,500 contract specialists work within NASA procurement
- 450 full-time employees are dedicated to IT Security and Cybersecurity
- 1,200 employees work in Financial Management and Accounting roles
- 350 employees are dedicated to Legal and General Counsel tasks
- 48 active astronauts are currently in the NASA Astronaut Corps
- 16 percent of the workforce is in professional administrative roles
- 3 percent of NASA's workforce are technicians
- 1 percent of employees work in clerical support roles
- 615 employees are in the Physical Sciences job category
- 125 employees are in the Life Sciences role category
- 88 employees work as social scientists or in related psychology roles
- 210 employees serve as Public Affairs Specialists
- 140 employees are dedicated to Environmental Management roles
- 60,000 estimated contractors support NASA's mission alongside civil servants
- 92 percent of the workforce is in "Space-related" occupational codes
- 500 employees work in Human Resources Management
- 2,400 employees are designated as Subject Matter Experts in engineering management
- 75 employees are specialized in Astrobiology research
- 320 employees manage International Space Station (ISS) mission operations
- 15 active Flight Directors manage Mission Control for Artemis and ISS
- 400 employees are specialized in Earth Science observation programs
- 550 employees work in the Safety and Mission Assurance (S&MA) directorate
- 120 employees are dedicated to Education and STEM Outreach roles
- 65 employees are focused on Planetary Protection roles
- 1,100 employees work in project management specific job codes
- 180 employees are specialized in Software Engineering for flight systems
Occupational Roles Interpretation
While the public might imagine NASA as a cosmic hive of astronauts and rocket scientists, the reality is a meticulously balanced organism where 62% are indeed engineers, but it takes 18,350 civil servants—from the 2,500 keeping contracts in orbit to the 140 ensuring earthly environmental compliance and the 800 administrative officers who probably process the moon rock requisitions—to ensure that the 48 astronauts can actually fly.
Regional Distribution
- 3,250 NASA civil servants are employed at Johnson Space Center in Houston
- 3,100 NASA civil servants are employed at Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland
- 2,100 employees work at Kennedy Space Center in Florida
- 1,800 employees work at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama
- 1,200 employees work at NASA Ames Research Center in California
- 1,150 employees work at NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland
- 1,050 employees work at NASA Langley Research Center in Virginia
- 1,100 employees work at NASA Headquarters in Washington D.C.
- 550 employees work at Armstrong Flight Research Center in California
- 500 employees work at Stennis Space Center in Mississippi
- 5,500 contract employees are based at JPL (Jet Propulsion Lab) in California
- 150 employees work at the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia
- 80 employees work at the Katherine Johnson IV&V Facility in West Virginia
- 25 percent of NASA's workforce is based in Texas
- 18 percent of NASA's workforce is based in Alabama
- 22 percent of NASA's workforce is based in Florida
- 10 percent of NASA's workforce is based in California (Civil Service)
- 5,000 contractors are based at Kennedy Space Center
- 8,000 contractors are based at Marshall Space Flight Center
- NASA maintains 10 major field centers across the United States
- Michigan and Ohio combined house 6 percent of NASA employees
- Stennis Space Center has the highest ratio of contractors to civil servants (10:1)
- 40 percent of NASA Headquarters employees are remote-eligible
- 2 percent of NASA employees work in overseas liaison roles
- 12 percent of NASA's workforce is located in the D.C. Metropolitan area
- 300 NASA employees work at the Michoud Assembly Facility in Louisiana
- 200 employees work at the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico
- NASA Ames is located in Silicon Valley, attracting the highest number of IT recruits
- 70 percent of NASA employees work at Southern United States centers
- 15 percent of the workforce is located in the Northeastern United States
Regional Distribution Interpretation
NASA's employment map reveals a distinct Southern strategy, with Texas, Alabama, and Florida serving as the program's operational heartland while California's Silicon Valley outpost quietly powers its digital mind.
Workforce Trends
- NASA has been ranked the Best Place to Work in the Federal Government for 12 consecutive years
- NASA's employee engagement score is 84.3 out of 100
- The voluntary turnover rate at NASA is 3.5 percent per year
- 45 percent of NASA employees utilize telework at least 2 days per week
- 1,500 new civil service employees are hired annually by NASA
- NASA receives over 250,000 job applications per year
- 78 percent of NASA employees report a high level of job satisfaction
- 5 percent of the NASA workforce is temporary or term-limited
- 2,000 interns are hired across all NASA centers each year
- 60 percent of Pathways interns are converted to permanent status upon graduation
- 88 percent of NASA employees believe their work is important
- 12 percent of the current workforce has joined NASA within the last 2 years
- NASA’s "Future of Work" plan allows for 25 percent of the workforce to be fully remote
- The average length of service at NASA is 15.4 years
- NASA intends to increase its workforce by 2 percent to reach 18,700 by 2025
- 72 percent of employees feel they have opportunities for professional development
- 68 percent of employees believe leadership is effective
- NASA’s workforce diversity has increased by 5 percent since 2018
- 14 percent of NASA employees have military reservist status
- 95 percent of NASA employees participate in annual ethics training
- The agency "Employee Net Promoter Score" (eNPS) is +52
- 82 percent of employees report a positive work-life balance
- 4.2 percent of the workforce is part of the "Next Gen" young professional group
- Retirement eligibility is expected to peak in 2026 at 24 percent
- 30 percent of NASA employees have received a "NASA Honor Award"
- 90 percent of employees agree that the agency is successful at accomplishing its mission
- 52 percent of NASA positions require Top Secret security clearance
- 1,800 employees transitioned from term to permanent status in the last 5 years
- NASA’s hiring cycle time (job post to offer) averages 92 days
- 15 percent of NASA employees work in "critical need" technical areas
Workforce Trends Interpretation
NASA's statistics reveal a workplace where employees are so engaged and mission-driven that even the 3.5% voluntary turnover feels less like people quitting and more like the universe gently borrowing back a few stars for a while.
Sources & References
- Reference 1NASAnasa.govVisit source
- Reference 2SCIENCEscience.nasa.govVisit source
- Reference 3EEOCeeoc.govVisit source
- Reference 4NASAPEOPLEnasapeople.nasa.govVisit source
- Reference 5BESTPLACESTOWORKbestplacestowork.orgVisit source
- Reference 6USAJOBSusajobs.govVisit source
- Reference 7ASTROBIOLOGYastrobiology.nasa.govVisit source
- Reference 8SMAsma.nasa.govVisit source
- Reference 9GLASSDOORglassdoor.comVisit source
- Reference 10FEDERALPAYfederalpay.orgVisit source
- Reference 11OPMopm.govVisit source
- Reference 12JPLjpl.nasa.govVisit source