Cybersecurity Salary Guide: How Much Can You Earn?

As technology becomes further ingrained in daily life, cyberattacks continue to threaten businesses. Bad actors deploy new tools like artificial intelligence and deepfake technology to wreak havoc on supply chains and communication tools. The recent shift to remote and hybrid work has also exposed numerous vulnerabilities in protection—weaknesses hackers worldwide seek to exploit.

In light of these developments, it’s unsurprising that cyber threats are a top concern of U.S. companies. And not just major corporations: Smaller enterprises also lose hundreds of millions of dollars each year. Cybersecurity Ventures predicts hacks and data breaches will cost the global economy more than $9.5 trillion in 2024.

The need for cybersecurity experts means this field is poised for rapid expansion, high demand, and higher-than-average salaries. This guide examines the earning potential for professionals in this field, including exploring how experience typically correlates to higher wages.

Cybersecurity Salary and Job Outlook

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects cybersecurity jobs will grow by 32% from 2022 to 2032, equating to 16,800 annual job openings. This growth projection reflects an ongoing labor shortage: CyberSeek reported more than 572,000 cybersecurity openings between September 2022 and August 2023.

2022 BLS data shows that the highest-employing industries for information security analysts—a job category encompassing many cybersecurity professionals—included finance and insurance, information and computer systems design.

The BLS also reveals information security analysts earned a median salary of $122,000 in 2022, almost two and a half times higher than the median wage for all workers. Factors that affect salary for cybersecurity professionals include education, experience, certification and location.

Cybersecurity jobs typically require a bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity, though some employers hire workers with an associate degree or relevant experience. These degrees are often in fields like computer science, information technology or a STEM field. Some schools even offer cybersecurity-specific programs. People who don’t want to commit to a full degree can attend cybersecurity bootcamps, which develop career-ready skills in condensed time frames.

In addition to degrees, cybersecurity workers can pursue professional certifications to develop skills in niche areas of the field. Some jobs even require applicants to hold specific credentials. These certifications help workers qualify for specialized roles, which often come with higher salaries. For example, skills like vendor management, intelligence analysis, network support and signals intelligence can lead to increased wages.

Jobs in big cities like Washington, D.C. and New York City generally pay more than roles in less densely populated areas, which reflects increased demand and higher cost of living.

Entry-Level Cybersecurity Salaries

Entry-level cybersecurity positions let information protection specialists with minimal experience put their skills to use in professional settings. According to Cyberseek data, even entry-level cybersecurity positions typically pay higher than the national average salary for all workers.

Cybersecurity Specialist

Average Annual Salary: $92,901
Minimum Required Education: 59% of job openings for this role require a bachelor’s degree; 22% require a graduate degree; 19% do not require a bachelor’s or higher
Job Overview: Cybersecurity specialists maintain network systems, assess vulnerabilities and respond to security breaches. They are adept at threat hunting, risk management and maintaining firewall controls. They hold titles like privacy specialist, cybersecurity analyst and information security specialist.

Cybercrime Analyst

Average Annual Salary: $101,019
Minimum Required Education: 60% of job openings for this role require a bachelor’s degree; 24% require a graduate degree; 16% do not require a bachelor’s or higher
Job Overview: Cybercrime analysts design and implement cybersecurity safeguards, analyze security measures and remediate potential security threats. These professionals apply skills like security architecture principles and digital forensics to their work.

Incident and Intrusion Analyst

Average Annual Salary: $97,725
Minimum Required Education: 63% of job openings for this role require a bachelor’s degree; 20% require a graduate degree; 18% do not require a bachelor’s or higher
Job Overview: Incident and intrusion analysts monitor systems to detect and respond to cybersecurity incidents and security threats. Necessary skills include firewall administration, security log and infrastructure design, incident management, and cyber threat analysis.

IT Auditor

Average Annual Salary: $98,805
Minimum Required Education: 77% of job openings for this role require a bachelor’s degree; 19% require a graduate degree; 4% do not require a bachelor’s or higher
Job Overview: IT auditors inspect existing and new information systems, applications and operating environments, using software to analyze data and test systems. They work individually and in teams, developing their auditing skills on the job. IT auditors often move into roles as cybersecurity consultants or penetration and vulnerability testers.

Midlevel Cybersecurity Salaries

After working three to five years in the field, cybersecurity professionals can advance their careers through promotions. Many mid-level positions require more certifications and training than entry-level roles but come with higher salaries.

Cybersecurity Analyst

Average Annual Salary: $107,346
Minimum Required Education: 70% of job openings for this role require a bachelor’s degree; 17% require a graduate degree; 13% do not require a bachelor’s or higher
Job Overview: Cybersecurity analysts troubleshoot escalated user issues, supervise technical projects related to security and monitor performance metrics. They collect quantitative and qualitative data and are skilled at firewall administration, security log and threat hunting analysis, security incident response, and risk management.

Cybersecurity Consultant

Average Annual Salary: $118,610
Minimum Required Education: 64% of job openings for this role require a bachelor’s degree; 22% require a graduate degree; 15% do not require a bachelor’s or higher
Job Overview: Cybersecurity consultants design security infrastructure and respond to incidents using intrusion detection and prevention systems as well as identity, access, security information and event management techniques. They also use cloud infrastructure security programs like Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform and Azure.

Penetration and Vulnerability Tester

Average Annual Salary: $124,424
Minimum Required Education: 71% of job openings for this role require a bachelor’s degree; 19% require a graduate degree; 10% do not require a bachelor’s or higher
Job Overview: Also known as ethical hackers, penetration and vulnerability testers find weak spots and vulnerabilities in security networks. They operate security tools like vulnerability scanners. Skilled penetration testers anticipate problems and resolve them to minimize damage.

Advanced Cybersecurity Salaries

Advanced cybersecurity positions typically require 10 to 15 years of experience. Many of these jobs involve oversight of other employees. Upper-level workers in this field typically earn the highest salaries and have the highest level of certification and training.

Cybersecurity Manager

Average Annual Salary: $150,943
Minimum Required Education: 67% of job openings for this role require a bachelor’s degree; 21% require a graduate degree; 12% do not require a bachelor’s or higher
Job Overview: Cybersecurity managers lead risk and incident management activities for organizations. They’re responsible for customer satisfaction and the overall success of security services. They design, implement and maintain security measures and are well-versed in modern security tools and auditing best practices.

Cybersecurity Engineer

Average Annual Salary: $131,768
Minimum Required Education: 61% of job openings for this role require a bachelor’s degree; 23% require a graduate degree; 16% do not require a bachelor’s or higher
Job Overview: Cybersecurity engineers manage and maintain security infrastructure and applications. They also lead risk and incident management activities. Common certifications for cybersecurity engineers include Certified Information Security Systems Professional (CISSP)® and Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA)® as well as credentials from organizations like Global Information Assurance Certification (GIAC). CyberSeek data reveals there were nearly 50,000 listings for these jobs from September 2022 to August 2023.

Cybersecurity Architect

Average Annual Salary: $147,142
Minimum Required Education: 66% of job openings for this role require a bachelor’s degree; 28% require a graduate degree; 6% do not require a bachelor’s or higher
Job Overview: Cybersecurity architects design and implement security safeguards and develop and manage security roadmaps. They also maintain and oversee security infrastructure and applications. They’re well-versed in security operations and security architecture principles. Cybersecurity architects often need professional credentials like GIAC or CISA certifications.

Frequently Asked Questions About Cybersecurity Salaries