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NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration salary estimate

$56,998yearly

$27.40 hourly rate

Entry-level salary
$31,000 yearly salary
Updated December 15, 2025

NASA Salaries Overview

Navigating the salary landscape at NASA reveals a broad spectrum of earning potential. The average salary across all roles is $56,998, yet this figure masks the substantial disparities based on job type and department. For instance, top earners such as team leaders make an impressive $119,174 annually, while roles like contracting officers and mentors also offer competitive pay averaging $95,008 and $94,941 respectively.

On the other end, positions such as cashiers and volunteers see significantly lower averages of $28,926. It's important to consider that salaries can vary greatly depending on the department. For example, the retail department averages about $87,864, whereas administrative roles tend to earn less, around $43,419.

Additionally, the cost of living in the District of Columbia influences compensation rates, making it imperative for job seekers to understand how these factors impact their potential salary at NASA. By exploring departmental salary averages and job roles, prospective employees can better gauge their earning potential and make informed decisions about their careers in the aerospace sector.

Highest paying jobs at NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

The highest paying jobs at NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration are team leader, contracting officer, mentor, and program manager. Team leader jobs at NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration earn an average yearly salary of $119,174, NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration contracting officer jobs average $95,008, and NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration mentor jobs average $94,941.

The lowest paying NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration roles include cashier and volunteer. NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration cashier average salary is $28,926 per year. So while the average NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration salary is $56,998 there is a big variation in pay depending on the role.

Highest paying jobs at NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

RankJob titleAverage NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration salaryHourly rate
1Team Leader$119,174$57.30
2Contracting Officer$95,008$45.68
3Mentor$94,941$45.64
4Program Manager$91,445$43.96
5Lead Designer$89,612$43.08
6Computer Scientist$89,002$42.79
7Contracts Specialist$88,584$42.59
8Project Leader$85,106$40.92
9Aerospace Engineer$85,004$40.87
10Project Manager$84,752$40.75
11Software Engineer$84,255$40.51
12Program Analyst$83,707$40.24
13Researcher$81,880$39.37
14Programmer$80,601$38.75
15Software Developer$79,676$38.31
16Consultant$76,071$36.57
17Engineering Technician$74,166$35.66
18Systems Administrator$70,014$33.66
19Human Resource Specialist$69,402$33.37
20Electronics Technician$66,924$32.17

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Average NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration salary by state

NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration pays the highest salaries in District of Columbia due to higher costs of living and competition in the state.

RankStateAverage NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration salaryHourly rate
1District of Columbia$63,515$30.54
2California$63,335$30.45
3Maryland$58,079$27.92
4Virginia$57,058$27.43
5Texas$52,752$25.36
6Alabama$49,225$23.67

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NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration salaries by department

Salaries at NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration vary depending on the department you work in. NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration salaries in the retail department are the highest with an average salary of $87,864. Employees in the finance department at NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration receive relatively high salaries as well, with an average salary of $77,249 per year. Departments that don't pay as well at NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration include the administrative and the facilities organizational functions, with employees earning average salaries of $43,419 and $46,617, respectively.

Average NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration salary by department

RankDepartmentAverage NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration salaryHourly rate
1Retail$87,864$42.24
2Finance$77,249$37.14
3Art/Design$71,264$34.26
4Non Profit/Government$71,129$34.20
5IT$69,099$33.22
6Engineering$68,343$32.86
7Education$63,267$30.42
8Plant/Manufacturing$62,942$30.26
9Research & Development$58,096$27.93
10Marketing$55,909$26.88
11Facilities$46,617$22.41
12Administrative$43,419$20.87

How much does NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration pay by department?

Best paying NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration engineering salaries

RankPositionAverage NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration salaryHourly rate
1Senior Member Technical Staff$130,118$62.56
2Industrial Hygienist$102,550$49.30
3Senior Design Project$92,222$44.34
4Computer Scientist$89,002$42.79
5Project Leader$85,106$40.92
6Aerospace Engineer$85,004$40.87
7Software Engineer$84,255$40.51
8Database Administrator$82,828$39.82
9Programmer$80,601$38.75
10Software Developer$79,676$38.31
11Web Developer$74,236$35.69
12Engineering Technician$74,166$35.66
13Data Analyst$71,576$34.41
14Mechanical Designer$66,709$32.07
15Gis Internship$64,592$31.05
16Computer Technician$57,537$27.66
17Engineering Internship$33,556$16.13

Best paying NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration research & development salaries

RankPositionAverage NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration salaryHourly rate
1Senior Scientist$94,495$45.43
2Researcher$81,880$39.37
3Co-Investigator$78,723$37.85
4Graduate Fellow$73,877$35.52
5Environmental Specialist$73,148$35.17
6Calibration Technician$63,905$30.72
7Research Assistant$53,842$25.89
8Research Internship$53,055$25.51
9Laboratory Internship$47,741$22.95
10Laboratory Assistant$47,039$22.61
11Doctoral Fellow$46,585$22.40

Best paying NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration administrative salaries

RankPositionAverage NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration salaryHourly rate
1Operations Administrator$80,625$38.76
2Office Manager$62,098$29.85
3Secretary$56,631$27.23
4Document Specialist$53,964$25.94
5Student Internship$52,662$25.32
6Administrative Support$46,656$22.43
7Support Clerk$46,190$22.21
8Administrative Assistant$35,366$17.00
9Office Assistant$35,258$16.95
10Programming Internship$32,808$15.77
11Clerk Typist$32,440$15.60
12Receptionist$30,528$14.68
13Student Worker$25,885$12.44

What employees say about salary at NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Employee reviews
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3.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Dec 2023
Pros of working at NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

all the free food and very good people which indicates their well being

Cons of working at NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

traveling to space a lot / a lot of tech time / no sleep / space food

NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration benefits

free food very good / free living / dorms / can get my family with me

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4.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2023
NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration benefits

Salary, bonuses, benefits and other perks!

Pros of working at NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Salary, benefits, bonuses, benefits!

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5.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2023
Pros of working at NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

manual labor, child labor, Chinese child labor, etc

Cons of working at NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

the pay is really high i dont like it i dont like the pay its very high.

NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration benefits

idk

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5.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2023
Pros of working at NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

People, benefits, work life balance

Cons of working at NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Politics, non team players

NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration benefits

Telework/Remote work, leave

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5.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Mar 2023
Pros of working at NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

I love Space and i would make a lot of money

Cons of working at NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Having to move

NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration benefits

Working with computers and technoligy

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5.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2021
Pros of working at NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

i like the environment and the professionals i worked with

Cons of working at NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

i don't like the regimented schedule and life

NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration benefits

i aquired more knowledge

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5.0
A zippia user wrote a review on May 2021
Pros of working at NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

salaries paid are good

Cons of working at NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

time

NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration benefits

health my place of residence is far from a health center

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Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration and its employees or that of Zippia.

NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration may also be known as or be related to NASA and NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration.