How many people did JPL lay off?
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, part of NASA, laid off 550 employees, or about 11% of its staff. Morale has tanked amid reports of management problems. Staffers say they’re following budget discussions in the national news while hearing little from the lab’s leaders. How much does a Nasa Jpl make in Pasadena, California? As of Oct 28, 2025, the average annual pay for a Nasa Jpl in Pasadena is $108,784 a year. Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $52. This is the equivalent of $2,092/week or $9,065/month.The estimated total pay range for a Chief Executive Officer at NASA is $193K–$329K per year, which includes base salary and additional pay. The average Chief Executive Officer base salary at NASA is $227K per year.The average nasa jet propulsion laboratory salary in united states can vary greatly by role. Annual salaries typically range from $52,626 (or $25) for a research intern to $212,717 (or $102) for a principal engineer.
Why is JPL laying off employees?
JPL Director Dave Gallagher stated that these layoffs are designed to establish an appropriate organizational size, enhance fiscal discipline, and optimize core technical capabilities for future success, explicitly disassociating them from the current government shutdown. Laurie Leshin, JPL director at the time of the earlier layoffs, said after the November cuts that she did not expect additional ones for the foreseeable future. After this action, we will be at about 5,500 JPL regular employees. I believe this is a stable, supportable staffing level moving forward,” she said then.
Is JPL a government job?
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is operated by California Institute of Technology (Caltech) for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC). JPLers are Caltech employees and are considered Federal Contractors. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is a federally funded research and development center in La Cañada Flintridge, California, Crescenta Valley, United States.Nestled at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains in Southern California, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory – JPL for short – is a federally funded research and development center managed by Caltech.