Salary intelligence

Cybersecurity salaries

Median compensation across 8 cybersecurity career paths, sourced directly from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program.

Highest median

$232,000

Chief Information Security Officer

Entry-level floor

$82,500

Entry-level roles

Average median

$126,713

Across all 8 roles

vs. US median income

+113%

Average premium

DecipherU Salary Explorer
Source: BLS OEWS
RoleMedian salary
Chief Information Security Officer$232,000
Security Architect$158,600
Security Engineer$124,900
Penetration Tester$112,200
Threat Intelligence Analyst$110,800
Incident Responder$105,300
SOC Analyst$87,400
GRC Analyst$82,500
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage StatisticsUpdated Apr 2026

How to read this data

Salary figures represent median annual wages from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program. “Median” means half of workers in that role earn more and half earn less. Actual compensation varies significantly by geography, experience level, industry sector, and employer size.

The “vs. US median” column compares each role’s median salary to the overall U.S. median household income of $59,384, providing context for the relative earning power of cybersecurity careers.

For a deeper analysis of any role including skill requirements, certification ROI, and career progression paths, visit the individual career guide.

Cybersecurity Salaries — Real Data from BLS | DecipherU | DecipherU