Does Smithsonian pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Smithsonian employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.7 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Smithsonian. This rating has improved by 4% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Smithsonian?

62% of Smithsonian employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Smithsonian 4.1 out of 5 for work life balance, 4.0 for culture and values and 3.4 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Smithsonian?

Intern (56) , Internship (13) , Explainer (10) , Retail Sales Associate (9) , Sales Associate (9) , Contractor (8) , Postdoctoral Fellow (8) , Research Assistant (8) , Museum Specialist (7) , Program Coordinator (7) , Security Officer (7) , Archivist (6) , Curator (6) , Education Specialist (6) , Program Assistant (6)

What are the pros of working at Smithsonian according to real employee reviews?

"And you will meet so many great people (tourist) from all over the world." ((in 68 reviews)); "Smithsonian has pretty good benefits" ((in 32 reviews)); "Great staff I enjoyed my time there." ((in 20 reviews)); "Amazing opportunities to work on global projects and collaborate with internationally celebrated artists and scholars." ((in 17 reviews)); "Coworkers are friendly and well" ((in 16 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Smithsonian according to real employee reviews?

"Slow moving and low pay." ((in 30 reviews)); "Low salary for DC metropolitan area" ((in 15 reviews)); "Lack of leadership and hard to fire" ((in 13 reviews)); "Unpaid internship where I was doing some of the same work that paid employees were doing." ((in 12 reviews)); "Long hours and very administrative at times" ((in 10 reviews))

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Smithsonian

Smithsonian Reviews

Compare reviews

4.0

62% would recommend to a friend

(506 total reviews)

Dr. David J. Skorton

75% approve of CEO

57% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.3

Diversity and inclusion

4.1

Work/Life balance

4.0

Culture and values

3.7

Compensation and benefits

3.4

Senior management

3.4

Career opportunities

Smithsonian has an employee rating of 4.0 out of 5 stars, based on 506 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Smithsonian employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Non-profit and NGO industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

506 reviews

4.0

12 May 2026

Welcoming environment with limited growth opportunities

Specialist

Recommend

CEO approval

Business outlook

Pros

Incredible environment, very welcoming. Very cool and interesting work.

Cons

Not a lot of growth opportunities, you have to apply to new positions, sometimes out of your unit to grow.

3.0

21 Apr 2026

Great employee activities

Curator assistant

Recommend

CEO approval

Business outlook

Pros

They have some great activities for employees.

Cons

The environment can be toxic

5.0

20 Mar 2026

Excellent environment for independent and collaborative research

Postdoctoral fellow

Recommend

CEO approval

Business outlook

Pros

Strong resources and a collaborative culture. Flexible mentorship and the freedom to explore diverse methods and research directions make this an extremely motivating environment to grow as a postdoc and, most importantly, as an independent researcher.

Cons

As a large institution, administrative processes and communication (e.g., contracts, payroll, or related matters) can occasionally be slow.

Viewing 1 - 3 of 506 Reviews

Jobs at Smithsonian

Physical Security Specialist (Driver), IS-0080-09

Washington, DC

USD 71K - USD 92K /yr

(Employer provided)

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Physical Security Specialist (Driver), IS-0080-09

Washington, DC

USD 71K - USD 92K /yr

(Employer provided)

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Budget Analyst, IS-0560-12

Washington, DC

USD 102K - USD 133K /yr

(Employer provided)

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Marketing & Membership Assistant, IS-1101-07

Washington, DC

USD 58K - USD 62K /yr

(Employer provided)

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