NASA compensation spans from GS-7 engineering roles starting near $54,000 to GS-15 averages around $165,000 per year. NASA also sits with an agency average salary of $121,500 and pays its Aerospace Engineers about $135,000 on average. This guide breaks down how grade levels and locality adjustments shape NASA’s pay mix and staffing.
Key Takeaways
- 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
- 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
- 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 engineers earn about $135,000 on average, with most staff in GS grades 13 to 15.
Related reading
01 · Category
Compensation & Grade30 stats
01
The average salary for a NASA Aerospace Engineer is $135,000
02
65 percent of NASA employees are GS-13 to GS-15 grade level
03
The average salary across the entire NASA agency is $121,500
04
NASA GS-15 employees earn an average of $165,000per year
05
NASA GS-7 entry-level engineers start at approximately $54,000
06
380 NASA employees are in the Senior Executive Service (SES) pay grade
07
NASA SES employees earn an average of $192,000per year
08
12 percent of NASA employees receive recruitment or retention bonuses
09
NASA spent $3.2 billion on personnel compensation and benefits in FY 2023
10
The highest-paid civil servant at NASA earns $212,100
11
22 percent of NASA employees are at the GS-14 level
12
18 percent of NASA employees are at the GS-15 level
13
25 percent of NASA employees are at the GS-13 level
14
Entry-level MS/PhD hires typically start at the GS-11 or GS-12 level
15
4 percent of NASA employees are on a "Scientific and Professional" (ST) pay scale
16
3 percent of NASA employees are on a "Senior Level" (SL) pay scale
17
Average locality pay for NASA Houston (JSC) is 30.5 percent
18
Average locality pay for NASA Goddard (GSFC/Maryland) is 31.2 percent
19
Average locality pay for NASA Ames (California) is 42.6 percent
20
Student interns (Pathways) earn between GS-4 and GS-9 depending on credits
21
92 percent of NASA employees receive health insurance benefits
22
85 percent of NASA employees participate in the TSP retirement plan
23
NASA offers $5,000annual student loan repayment for eligible employees
24
15 percent of engineers received a Performance Award over $2,500in 2022
25
The DC metro area (HQ and GSFC) has the highest concentration of GS-15s
26
5 percent of the workforce is on the Wage Grade (WG) blue-collar scale
27
NASA’s total payroll budget grew by 4 percent in 2024
28
14 percent of the workforce receives a "Special Rate" for STEM positions
29
Remote-only workers at NASA receive locality pay based on their home address
30
Tuition assistance programs at NASA cover up to $10,000for advanced degrees
Interpretation
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.
02 · Category
Demographics30 stats
01
33.7 percent of the NASA permanent workforce are women
02
11.8 percent of NASA employees identify as African American or Black
03
8.4 percent of the NASA workforce identifies as Hispanic or Latino
04
8.3 percent of NASA employees identify as Asian American or Pacific Islander
05
1.1 percent of NASA employees identify as American Indian or Alaska Native
06
66.3 percent of the NASA civil service workforce is male
07
12.3 percent of NASA employees have a reported disability
08
2.3 percent of NASA employees are individuals with targeted disabilities
09
The average age of a NASA employee is approximately 47 years old
10
21 percent of the workforce is under the age of 35
11
35 percent of NASA employees are over the age of 50
12
54 percent of NASA employees have a Master's degree or higher
13
15 percent of NASA employees hold a Doctorate degree
14
28 percent of NASA employees are military veterans
15
72 percent of NASA's White-collar workforce is in the Professional/Scientific category
16
4.5 percent of the NASA workforce is under the age of 25
17
12 percent of new hires at NASA in 2023 were Asian
18
14 percent of new hires at NASA in 2023 were Hispanic
19
42 percent of the SES (Senior Executive Service) at NASA is female
20
25 percent of NASA supervisors are female
21
0.1 percent of the workforce identify as Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
22
1.5 percent of NASA employees identify as two or more races
23
18 percent of NASA employees are eligible for retirement within 5 years
24
28 percent of NASA interns come from Minority Serving Institutions
25
40 percent of the NASA Pathways Program participants are female
26
65 percent of NASA employees reside in a household with a spouse or partner
27
75 percent of the workforce is White
28
10 percent of NASA executives identify as Black or African American
29
5 percent of the NASA workforce has been with the agency for over 30 years
30
22 percent of the agency's engineer workforce identify as a minority group
Interpretation
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.
03 · Category
Occupational Roles30 stats
01
62 percent of NASA civil servants are classified as Aerospace Engineers
02
18,350 total civil service employees are currently employed by NASA
03
12,000 approximate number of Aerospace Technology (AST) positions exist at NASA
04
800 employees serve as Administrative Officers within the agency
05
2,500 contract specialists work within NASA procurement
06
450 full-time employees are dedicated to IT Security and Cybersecurity
07
1,200 employees work in Financial Management and Accounting roles
08
350 employees are dedicated to Legal and General Counsel tasks
09
48 active astronauts are currently in the NASA Astronaut Corps
10
16 percent of the workforce is in professional administrative roles
11
3 percent of NASA's workforce are technicians
12
1 percent of employees work in clerical support roles
13
615 employees are in the Physical Sciences job category
14
125 employees are in the Life Sciences role category
15
88 employees work as social scientists or in related psychology roles
16
210 employees serve as Public Affairs Specialists
17
140 employees are dedicated to Environmental Management roles
18
60,000 estimated contractors support NASA's mission alongside civil servants
19
92 percent of the workforce is in "Space-related" occupational codes
20
500 employees work in Human Resources Management
21
2,400 employees are designated as Subject Matter Experts in engineering management
22
75 employees are specialized in Astrobiology research
23
320 employees manage International Space Station (ISS) mission operations
24
15 active Flight Directors manage Mission Control for Artemis and ISS
25
400 employees are specialized in Earth Science observation programs
26
550 employees work in the Safety and Mission Assurance (S&MA) directorate
27
120 employees are dedicated to Education and STEM Outreach roles
28
65 employees are focused on Planetary Protection roles
29
1,100 employees work in project management specific job codes
30
180 employees are specialized in Software Engineering for flight systems
Interpretation
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.
04 · Category
Regional Distribution30 stats
01
3,250 NASA civil servants are employed at Johnson Space Center in Houston
02
3,100 NASA civil servants are employed at Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland
03
2,100 employees work at Kennedy Space Center in Florida
04
1,800 employees work at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama
05
1,200 employees work at NASA Ames Research Center in California
06
1,150 employees work at NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland
07
1,050 employees work at NASA Langley Research Center in Virginia
08
1,100 employees work at NASA Headquarters in Washington D.C.
09
550 employees work at Armstrong Flight Research Center in California
10
500 employees work at Stennis Space Center in Mississippi
11
5,500 contract employees are based at JPL (Jet Propulsion Lab) in California
12
150 employees work at the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia
13
80 employees work at the Katherine Johnson IV&V Facility in West Virginia
14
25 percent of NASA's workforce is based in Texas
15
18 percent of NASA's workforce is based in Alabama
16
22 percent of NASA's workforce is based in Florida
17
10 percent of NASA's workforce is based in California (Civil Service)
18
5,000 contractors are based at Kennedy Space Center
19
8,000 contractors are based at Marshall Space Flight Center
20
NASA maintains 10 major field centers across the United States
21
Michigan and Ohio combined house 6 percent of NASA employees
22
Stennis Space Center has the highest ratio of contractors to civil servants (10:1)
23
40 percent of NASA Headquarters employees are remote-eligible
24
2 percent of NASA employees work in overseas liaison roles
25
12 percent of NASA's workforce is located in the D.C. Metropolitan area
26
300 NASA employees work at the Michoud Assembly Facility in Louisiana
27
200 employees work at the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico
28
NASA Ames is located in Silicon Valley, attracting the highest number of IT recruits
29
70 percent of NASA employees work at Southern United States centers
30
15 percent of the workforce is located in the Northeastern United States
Interpretation
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.
05 · Category
Workforce Trends30 stats
01
NASA has been ranked the Best Place to Work in the Federal Government for 12 consecutive years
02
NASA's employee engagement score is 84.3 out of 100
03
The voluntary turnover rate at NASA is 3.5 percent per year
04
45 percent of NASA employees utilize telework at least 2 days per week
05
1,500 new civil service employees are hired annually by NASA
06
NASA receives over 250,000 job applications per year
07
78 percent of NASA employees report a high level of job satisfaction
08
5 percent of the NASA workforce is temporary or term-limited
09
2,000 interns are hired across all NASA centers each year
10
60 percent of Pathways interns are converted to permanent status upon graduation
11
88 percent of NASA employees believe their work is important
12
12 percent of the current workforce has joined NASA within the last 2 years
13
NASA’s "Future of Work" plan allows for 25 percent of the workforce to be fully remote
14
The average length of service at NASA is 15.4 years
15
NASA intends to increase its workforce by 2 percent to reach 18,700 by 2025
16
72 percent of employees feel they have opportunities for professional development
17
68 percent of employees believe leadership is effective
18
NASA’s workforce diversity has increased by 5 percent since 2018
19
14 percent of NASA employees have military reservist status
20
95 percent of NASA employees participate in annual ethics training
21
The agency "Employee Net Promoter Score" (eNPS) is +52
22
82 percent of employees report a positive work-life balance
23
4.2 percent of the workforce is part of the "Next Gen" young professional group
24
Retirement eligibility is expected to peak in 2026 at 24 percent
25
30 percent of NASA employees have received a "NASA Honor Award"
26
90 percent of employees agree that the agency is successful at accomplishing its mission
27
52 percent of NASA positions require Top Secret security clearance
28
1,800 employees transitioned from term to permanent status in the last 5 years
29
NASA’s hiring cycle time (job post to offer) averages 92 days
30
15 percent of NASA employees work in "critical need" technical areas
Interpretation
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.
Reference
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APA
Lukas Bauer. (2026, February 13). Nasa Employment Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/nasa-employment-statistics
MLA
Lukas Bauer. "Nasa Employment Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/nasa-employment-statistics.
Chicago
Lukas Bauer. 2026. "Nasa Employment Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/nasa-employment-statistics.
Sources & references
12 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level