We analyzed over 100 job listings to gain insight into cybersecurity pay in 2026.
In our research, we broke down listings, taking a closer look at:
- Role Type
- Location
- Experience Level
- Security Clearance
- Certifications
We then collated and analyzed the data to better understand the factors that go into determining cybersecurity compensation.
Note on methods: All data was drawn from publicly available job listings across Google, LinkedIn, CyberSecJobs, Indeed, and ZipRecruiter. We focused on advertised salaries (not self-reported surveys) to better reflect what employers are currently offering in the market. The full data set can be found here.
Contents
- Top 5 Cybersecurity Salary Stats
- Average Cybersecurity Salary
- Salary by Role
- Salary by State
- Top Paying Metro Areas
- Top Growing Metro Areas
- Salary by Location
- Salary by Experience Level
- Top-Paying Cybersecurity Industries
- Security Clearance Impact on Pay
- Certification Impact on Pay
- Cybersecurity Job Outlook
Top 5 Cybersecurity Salary Stats
- The average cybersecurity salary in 2026 is $139,766.
- The average salary offered for cybersecurity ranges from $109,300 to $162,500.
- The average salary offered for security architects is between $117,500 and $168,500.
- Cybersecurity professionals with 10+ years of experience can earn anywhere between $143,000 to $211,500 per year.
- A Top Secret clearance for a cybersecurity role can increase pay by around $20,000.
Average Cybersecurity Salary
According to our dataset, the average cybersecurity salary in 2026 is $139,766.
In terms of salary range, the average cybersecurity job listing salary in this dataset ranged between $110,724 and $168,808 per year.
Importantly, this average figure of approximately $140k does not necessarily indicate a “typical” salary. Entry-level analysts may see offers closer to $90,000. While senior consultants, architects, and cleared engineers pull the overall mean upward.
For context, cybersecurity tends to pay more on average than many other tech roles, including engineers, designers, and data analysts.
Salary by Role
The architecture and engineering side of cybersecurity tends to pay more than analyst or consultant roles.
On average, security architects are offered around $25,000 more as a base salary than cybersecurity analysts.
Here’s a breakdown of cybersecurity salaries by job role:
| Cybersecurity Role | Average Salary (Low) | Average Salary (High) |
| Security Architect | $123,524 | $181,899 |
| Cybersecurity Engineer | $117,932 | $177,044 |
| Penetration Tester (Ethical Hacker) | $113,852 | $177,197 |
| Security Consultant | $100,150 | $167,002 |
| Cybersecurity Analyst | $97,201 | $141,113 |
- Architects are at the top of the pay scale because they design systems that prevent catastrophic breaches. In fact, their decisions often impact millions of people (and dollars) in risk mitigation.
- Pen testers (ethical hackers) are in high demand due to compliance frameworks (PCI DSS, FedRAMP, DoD) that need red-team validation.
- Analysts remain essential but are somewhat commoditized. Many Tier 1 SOC roles are being automated or outsourced, pushing salaries down.
- Consultants sit mid-range. Their value depends heavily on industry verticals (finance and defense consultants typically earn more) and the value they can bring to an organization.
Takeaway for professionals: If you want to move up the salary curve, pivoting from an analyst role to engineering or architecture provides the biggest opportunity for a salary boost.
Salary by State
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, average annual salaries for cybersecurity professionals vary dramatically by state.
New York leads the way with an average cybersecurity salary of $133,100. That’s closely followed by Colorado ($132,000), Maryland, Washington, and California (each with $131,260).
Below are the average annual wages for cybersecurity analysts for the 30 most populous states:
| Rank | State | Average Cybersecurity Salary |
| 1 | New York | $133,100 |
| 2 | Colorado | $132,000 |
| =3 | Maryland | $131,260 |
| =3 | Washington | $131,260 |
| =3 | California | $131,260 |
| 6 | Indiana | $124,151 |
| 7 | Virginia | $121,940 |
| 8 | New Jersey | $118,050 |
| 9 | North Carolina | $117,860 |
| 10 | Georgia | $117,020 |
| 11 | Massachusetts | $113,610 |
| 12 | Connecticut | $113,580 |
| 13 | Illinois | $108,510 |
| 14 | Florida | $106,440 |
| 15 | Arizona | $106,360 |
| 16 | Ohio | $103,470 |
| 17 | Minnesota | $102,700 |
| 18 | Texas | $101,800 |
| 19 | Michigan | $100,370 |
| 20 | Oregon | $96,050 |
| 21 | Louisiana | $94,700 |
| 22 | Missouri | $94,080 |
| 23 | South Carolina | $94,016 |
| 24 | Tennessee | $92,840 |
| 25 | Wisconsin | $92,660 |
| 26 | Utah | $89,820 |
| 27 | Kentucky | $86,870 |
| 28 | Pennsylvania | $82,441 |
| 29 | Oklahoma | $81,640 |
| 30 | Alabama | $77,517 |
Source: PlexTrac
Top-Paying Metro Areas
Cybersecurity jobs pay the most in major metropolitan areas, where strong demand for talent and higher living costs drive up salaries.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara metro area is the top-paying for cybersecurity roles, averaging annual wages of $175,520.
This is followed by another Californian metro area, San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward ($168,160).
Here are the top-paying metro regions in the US:
| Rank | Metro Area | Average Annual Wage |
| 1 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $175,520 |
| 2 | San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA | $168,160 |
| 3 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $152,660 |
| 4 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $138,410 |
| 5 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | $138,360 |
Source: US BLS (via CCI Training Sources)
Top Growing Metro Areas
While major metropolitan areas typically offer the highest cybersecurity salaries, several regions are standing out for rapid growth in both jobs and wages.
These emerging hubs combine strong demand for cybersecurity talent with significant year-over-year gains in pay, making them key markets for professionals in the field.
According to recent data, the following metro areas rank highest for growth in cybersecurity wages and employment, with index scores reflecting a combination of job and salary increases:
1. Indianapolis
Index score: 10
YoY job growth: 31.8% (to 870 jobs)
YoY wage growth: 17.2%
Avg salary: $106,870 (real: $114,046)
2. Raleigh, NC
Index score: 9.5
YoY job growth: 59% (to 1,590 jobs)
YoY wage growth: 8.4%
Avg salary: $129,000
3. Cleveland
Index score: 9.0
YoY job growth: 60% (to 1,120 jobs)
YoY wage growth: 6.2%
Avg salary: $110,050
4. Kansas City, MO
Index score: 8.0
YoY job growth: 14% (to 1,870 jobs)
YoY wage growth: 13.7%
Avg salary: $107,020
5. San Francisco
Index score: 7.8
YoY job growth: 15.3%
YoY wage growth: 12.8%
Avg salary: $157,660 (real: $133,729)
Cybersecurity jobs: 4,520
6. Columbus, OH
Index score: 7.7
YoY job growth: 34.3% (to 1,450 jobs)
YoY wage growth: 7.4%
Avg salary: $118,970
7. Pittsburgh
Index score: 7.3
YoY job growth: 22.5% (to 980 jobs)
YoY wage growth: 9%
Avg salary: $110,220
8. Omaha, NE
Index score: 6.7
YoY job growth: 5.8% (to 550 jobs)
YoY wage growth: 10.6%
Avg salary: $108,040
9. Cincinnati
Index score: 6.6
YoY job growth: 34.1% (to 1,220 jobs)
YoY wage growth: 3.2%
Avg salary: $111,750
10. Seattle
Index score: 6.5
YoY job growth: -8.6% (to 3,910 jobs)
YoY wage growth: 13.3%
Avg salary: $154,600 (real: $136,001)
Source: CSO
Salary by Experience Level
We found that cybersecurity salaries significantly increase with experience:
- Under 3 years – average under $124,000 as a maximum salary.
- 5+ years – average over $113,000 at the low end, approximately $170,000 at the high end.
- 10+ years – average job listing has a maximum base salary of over $211,000.
Here’s how previous experience affects advertised pay in cybersecurity roles:
| Minimum Experience | Average Salary (Low) | Average Salary (High) |
| Not Specified | $95,325 | $144,616 |
| 1 year | $62,086 | $95,802 |
| 2 years | $86,742 | $132,377 |
| 3 years | $99,997 | $157,973 |
| 4 years | $102,800 | $161,800 |
| 5 years | $113,315 | $171,281 |
| 6 years | $78,520 | $161,320 |
| 7 years | $132,000 | $232,500 |
| 8 years | $132,188 | $199,327 |
| 9 years | No Data | No Data |
| 10+ years | $144,217 | $204,382 |
- Steep salary jumps occur around years 3–5, as professionals move beyond SOC monitoring into engineering or consulting.
- The 7-year anomaly ($232.5k high) is likely due to professionals moving to niche leadership roles (CISO track, cleared federal contractors) around this time.
- Plateauing begins around the 10-year mark unless professionals transition into management or highly specialized niches (reverse engineering, ICS/SCADA).
Continuous upskilling (especially moving from analyst work into architecture, penetration testing, or senior leadership) is essential to break past the $130k ceiling common in mid-career.
Top-Paying Cybersecurity Industries
Cybersecurity salaries vary widely across industries, as different sectors have different security priorities.
Technology
Cybersecurity roles in the tech sector average $140,000 annually. Major tech companies such as Google, Microsoft, and Apple pay between $150,000 and $250,000 or more, while cybersecurity vendors and consultancies offer premium rates for specialized expertise. Stock options and equity compensation often add significant value.
Financial Services
The average salary is $130,000. Banking institutions like Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase pay $125,000 to $200,000, with investment firms and hedge funds offering higher compensation for risk management. Regulatory compliance requirements drive demand, and security clearances for government-related financial work can add a 10–15% premium.
Insurance
Roles in insurance average $125,000, with a focus on risk assessment and data protection. Cyber insurance companies pay premiums for specialized knowledge.
Healthcare
Cybersecurity positions in hospitals and health networks average $115,000. HIPAA compliance ensures steady demand, and medical device security is an emerging specialization with high value.
Government and Defense
Salaries range from $90,000 to $180,000, depending on role and clearance.
Federal agencies pay $90,000–$150,000, while defense contractors pay $120,000–$180,000. Security clearances increase pay, with Secret clearance adding $5,000 to $10,000 and Top Secret clearance adding $15,000 to $25,000.
Source: This is an IT Support Group
Security Clearance Impact on Pay
A Top Secret clearance can add ~$25,000 to the upper salary range for cybersecurity roles.
This is how security clearance affects advertised pay for cybersecurity roles:
| Security Clearance | Average Salary (Low) | Average Salary (High) |
| Public Trust/Not Mentioned | $113,017 | $167,721 |
| Secret | $85,142 | $171,613 |
| Top Secret/EDV | $104,070 | $185,090 |
- A Top Secret clearance adds around $20k to typical offers, primarily because clearances are expensive and time-consuming to obtain.
- Employers will pay a premium for candidates who already hold clearances, avoiding 12–18 months of bureaucratic delays.
- Interestingly, the Secret clearance band shows wide variability ($85k–$172k), reflecting entry-level DoD contracts on the low end and cleared engineer roles on the high end.
For those in or near defense/government, maintaining clearance is one of the most straightforward ways to secure higher offers without necessarily obtaining new technical skill sets.
Certification Impact on Pay
According to our data, there is little difference in salary between cybersecurity job listings specifying certifications and those that do not.
Cybersecurity job listings specifying the OSCP certification offer salaries averaging $126,600 to $180,600, the highest among certs.
By comparison, cybersecurity job listings specifying the CISSP certification offer less: $107,300 to $171,200.
Here’s a closer look at how cybersecurity salaries vary based on certifications mentioned in job postings:
| Certification requirement | Average Salary (Low) | Average Salary (High) |
| Certifications Specified | $109,631 | $170,007 |
| Certification Not Specified | $111,294 | $178,488 |
| Specifically Listed CISSP | $107,310 | $171,160 |
| Specifically Listed OSCP | $126,576 | $180,657 |
| Specifically Listed CISA | $111,325 | $178,075 |
| Specifically Listed CEH | $114,586 | $165,257 |
| Specifically Listed GCIH | $112,531 | $157,440 |
- OSCP (Offensive Security Certified Professional) correlates with the highest offers because it’s seen as proof of hands-on skill, not just theoretical knowledge.
- CISSP, though well-known, is often a checkbox requirement; hence, salaries don’t spike.
- The fact that “certification not specified” yields almost identical salaries suggests that certs alone don’t drive offers. Experience and role type weigh more heavily.
The takeaway?
For maximizing salary, pursue selective certifications that demonstrate real technical ability (OSCP, GXPN, cloud security certs) rather than relying on broad HR-filter certs like CISSP alone.
Cybersecurity Job Outlook
The demand for cybersecurity professionals remains strong and is projected to grow significantly over the coming decade. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment for Information Security Analysts is expected to increase by 29% between 2024 and 2034, far faster than the average for all occupations.
This growth is driven by an expanding threat landscape. This includes more frequent cyberattacks, new vulnerabilities tied to cloud computing, and the rise of AI.
Moreover, recent data shows the global cybersecurity workforce grew to 5.5 million professionals. Despite that, there remains a substantial shortfall, with the workforce gap expanding to an estimated 4 million globally.