Introduction
Cybersecurity is one of the most trending career domains right now. Stats from the New York Times show that the cybersecurity industry would have 3.5 million unfilled jobs globally by 2021. In this article, we are going to discuss about cyber security salary in the USA, average pay, entry level salary and many more.
Many chief information insecurity officers across the globe are worried about the skills gap in cybersecurity. Around 58% of CISOs participating in a study believed that the issue of not having enough expert cybersecurity professionals would worsen in the coming years.
While this is an imminent challenge for companies and organizations in the cybersecurity domain, it is also a fantastic opportunity for aspirants. Why, you ask?
When there’s so much demand for a specific skill, companies pay generously for qualified skills and talent. Cybersecurity is one such skill. With high market demand and a low supply of the right talent, cybersecurity candidates can bag well-paying job roles across different sectors.
How much does a Cyber Security Salary in the USA?
$117,327/ Annual
Based on 10000 salaries
The average cyber security salary in the USA is $117,327 per year or $60.17 per hour. Entry level positions start at $89,467 per year while most experienced workers make up to $164,695 per year.
Entry-Level Salary
The beginner cybersecurity salary depends on a few different variables – these variables can influence the number to be both much smaller and much bigger, so do keep that in mind.
Junior Salary
According to the site, junior cybersecurity analysts should make around $88,800 per year or $7402 per month.
This makes perfect sense, especially when you compare this junior cybersecurity salary to the beginner one.
Senior Salary
A senior cybersecurity analyst can expect to make around $118,600 per year. This comes out to be a jaw-dropping $9,889 per month.
Cybersecurity Salary by State
Cybersecurity salaries by state are listed below for three job categories in the profession; all are mean salaries based on BLS data.1 Some state data was unavailable.
| State | Computer Network Architects | Computer Programmers | Information Security Analysts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $104,580 | $87,340 | $92,500 |
| Alaska | $94,250 | $86,080 | $105,280 |
| Arizona | $101,750 | $95,900 | $93,960 |
| Arkansas | $89,840 | $71,540 | $81,710 |
| California | $127,500 | $97,470 | $110,340 |
| Colorado | $115,300 | $94,750 | $102,820 |
| Connecticut | $122,200 | $93,370 | $112,900 |
| Delaware | $126,990 | $80,260 | $106,780 |
| District of Columbia | $123,200 | $105,200 | $118,080 |
| Florida | $91,180 | $78,890 | $91,950 |
| Georgia | $114,240 | $92,390 | $94,490 |
| Hawaii | $98,880 | $72,370 | $91,520 |
| Idaho | X | $76,500 | $86,590 |
| Illinois | $114,780 | $91,860 | $98,640 |
| Indiana | $88,210 | $80,850 | $80,080 |
| Iowa | $119,590 | $78,940 | $83,030 |
| Kansas | $93,670 | $75,780 | $86,160 |
| Kentucky | $77,950 | $72,190 | $83,890 |
| Louisiana | $79,560 | $77,450 | $74,350 |
| Maine | $97,890 | $84,830 | $82,270 |
| Maryland | $121,720 | $93,000 | $107,960 |
| Massachusetts | $121,700 | $95,380 | $108,400 |
| Michigan | $100,710 | $76,450 | $93,850 |
| Minnesota | $110,330 | $86,710 | $97,040 |
| Mississippi | $89,550 | $73,940 | $73,550 |
| Missouri | $99,880 | $76,530 | $91,210 |
| Montana | $88,520 | $94,480 | $64,790 |
| Nebraska | $98,430 | $76,540 | $84,540 |
| Nevada | $104,350 | $80,580 | $89,530 |
| New Hampshire | $123,310 | $75,680 | $100,850 |
| New Jersey | $124,310 | $85,750 | $121,600 |
| New Mexico | $111,210 | $72,770 | $106,360 |
| New York | $113,300 | $91,250 | $122,000 |
| North Carolina | $108,040 | $94,570 | $104,430 |
| North Dakota | $94,750 | $76,180 | $79,940 |
| Ohio | $97,250 | $74,930 | $93,770 |
| Oklahoma | $87,160 | $83,090 | $81,900 |
| Oregon | $108,990 | $79,470 | $92,620 |
| Pennsylvania | $101,090 | $85,800 | $97,620 |
| Rhode Island | $117,650 | X | $109,580 |
| South Carolina | $85,450 | $81,940 | $75,770 |
| South Dakota | $100,330 | $57,060 | $91,630 |
| Tennessee | $102,030 | $82,400 | $82,160 |
| Texas | $119,340 | $91,970 | $104,170 |
| Utah | $114,900 | $83,700 | $86,790 |
| Vermont | $85,930 | $81,680 | $84,680 |
| Virginia | $123,050 | $94,470 | $111,780 |
| Washington | $111,960 | $126,920 | $107,800 |
| West Virginia | $92,060 | $83,160 | $84,620 |
| Wisconsin | $97,110 | $79,420 | $81,050 |
| Wyoming | X | $71,910 | $73,280 |
How to Boost Your Cybersecurity Salary?
Cybersecurity is a relatively new profession, and those in the field have varied school and professional backgrounds. A bachelor’s degree in engineering or computer science is often a requirement (but not always), and a master’s degree in cybersecurity can boost a job applicant’s appeal factor. Classes cover topics such as cybersecurity leadership, cryptology, government and national security, network security, privacy engineering, and problem-solving skills.
Companies are also looking for employees with project management experience; analytics and data science backgrounds; technical writing skills; and expertise in law, policy, and physical security such as law enforcement and military experience, says Pete Metzger, a recruiter of C-suite cybersecurity professionals with consulting firm DHR International, to CNBC.com . Metzger started his career in the Marine Corps and later served as a Central Intelligence Agency foreign intelligence officer.
Highest Paying Cybersecurity Jobs
A look at 5 positions that pay north of $200,000 per year in total annual compensation:
- Freelance Bug Bounty Hunters
Zero-day exploits are predicted to rise from one-per-week in 2015 to one-per-day by 2021. Flaws in software code, which create vulnerabilities, have created a burgeoning bug bounty economy with big payouts to elite freelancer hackers. Some of them earn more than $500,000 a year. But, that’s a far cry from the average take home pay for most bug bounty hunters that are self-employed part timers with no guaranteed income.
- Chief Information Security Officer
CISO compensation varies widely depending on the size and type of an organization. Fortune 500 corporations in big cities pay as much as $380,000 to $420,000 annually and more to their security head honchos. But a so-called CISO working for a mid-sized corporation is probably looking at a $150,000 to $200,000 salary.
- Deputy CISO
There’s a lot of data published on the cybersecurity Sheriff’s compensation, but not so much for the emerging new position of Deputy. Large organizations are starting to put these people in place as part of their succession planning. Exactly how much they earn is hard to say, but they’re certainly aiming for a future CISO position and salary. A headhunter (name withheld) placing people in these positions informs the larger F500 are open to compensating in the $200,000 to $250,000 range.
- Lead Software Security Engineer
For the top coders with leadership skills – a rare breed – salaries exceed $225,000. In some companies, this position pays more than it does to the CISO. Software plus ‘soft skills’ equals big pay for aspiring programmers with a senior management role in their sights.
- Cybersecurity Sales Engineer
“What me, sales?” For cybersecurity pros that say “Yup” to that, it could mean a big bump in pay – by as much as 50 percent. Switching over from coding to giving demos is upward mobility for more and more people in our field that are raking in $200,000 a year. There’s nothing wrong with closing deals and getting your fair share – if you can handle the word ‘sales’ on your business card (you can always print up another one for DEF CON).
FAQs About Cyber Security Salary:
Is cyber security paid high amount of salary?
ZipRecruiter reports a national average cyber security salary of $119,289 — with New York City producing figures just above this average. That said, it is possible to make far more. Some top-tier freelancers reportedly make a cyber security salary of up to $500,000 per year.
Is Cyber security a good career?
Yes, Cyber security is a great career to choose at this point of time. The salary backed by this course is also decent and goes on gradually. As everything as moved over internet cyber security as become one of the most important thing in the recent times.
What is the lowest salary in Cyber security ?
The lowest salary in Cyber security can go as low as $23,500 and as high as $139,000.
Is Cyber Security job though?
The job is not though but its challenging, you need a lot of knowledge and practice for this kind of job, with a calm mind and a great skill set.
Conclusion
The global demand for cybersecurity professionals is rising because companies are migrating to the cloud and are using more digital technologies to optimize their operations. If you’re interested in pursuing a career in this field, be sure to check out the course we mentioned above. In this article, we are going to discuss about cyber security salary in the USA, average pay, entry level salary and many more.
Although it may seem daunting, bagging a lucrative role in cybersecurity isn’t rocket science. All you need is a passion for upskilling and a little professional guidance from industry experts and mentors. Once you master the fundamentals of the domain and gain the requisite skills, you will have a much better chance of becoming a cybersecurity expert at a reputed organization.
