Does JPL pay well?
How much does a Nasa Jpl make in Pasadena, California? As of Nov 27, 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. How much does a Nasa Jpl make in Pasadena, California? As of Dec 2, 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 average salary for a Chief Executive Officer at NASA is $332,505 per year or $160 per hour, but some professionals have reported earning up to roughly $608,484 per year (90th percentile). The typical pay range is between $249,379 (25th percentile) and $465,507 (75th percentile) annually.Aerospace engineer positions at SpaceX begin at $95,000 per year, dwarfing NASA’s offering which must adhere to the federal government’s General Schedule pay scales. Here, salaries begin at around $55,000 for engineers with bachelor’s degrees working at the Kennedy Space Center, based in Florida.
Is working at JPL prestigious?
It’s not everywhere that you can go to get a chance to work with spacecraft going to Mars. The prestige of working at JPL alone make some of the downsides all worth it. Also, great 403b plan and a 9/80 work schedule. The annual evaluation system makes promotions difficult to achieve. NASA requires US citizenship. Yes, a foreign born person who becomes a US citizen can work at NASA. As to SpaceX, a US permanent resident can work there but not in all jobs. Certain roles will be off-limits due to US government regulations.Just to be considered for a job with NASA requires a lot of hard work and dedication. If you’ve got a good degree and/or relevant experience, it pays to follow the steps laid out above. Get your resume and interview techniques on point by using the STAR method, and practice, practice, practice.Other than extremely rare exceptions, you must be a U. S. NASA as a civil service employee. If you are not a U. S. International Space Partners: Agencia Espacial Brasileira (AEB) Italian Space Agency.
Are JPL employees civil servants?
The California Institute of Technology operates JPL on behalf of NASA, and JPL staff are Caltech employees rather than federal civil servants. Most NASA employees have been furloughed since the 2026 fiscal year began Oct. Today, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif.NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory has an employee rating of 4. Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there.
Is JPL government or private?
JPL is federally funded by NASA and managed by Caltech. Jet Propulsion Laboratory Directors JPL also operates the NASA Deep Space Network, enabling navigation and data return throughout the solar system. Managed by the California Institute of Technology and based in Pasadena, JPL is NASA’s only federally-funded research and development center.
Which is the highest paid job in NASA?
The top 5 highest paying jobs at NASA with reported salaries are: software engineering manager – $181k per year. As of Nov 21, 2025, the average hourly pay for a Jet Propulsion Laboratory Jpl in the United States is $22.While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $167,500 and as low as $41,000, the majority of Nasa Jet Propulsion Laboratory salaries currently range between $82,500 (25th percentile) to $118,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $144,000 annually across the United States.Average NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Student Intern daily pay in the United States is approximately $313, which is 158% above the national average.