The median cybersecurity analyst salary in the U.S. was $129,180 a year in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Entry-level pay is lower: the bottom tenth of analysts earned less than $75,090. At the other end, security managers had a median of $175,140. Where you work matters too: in California, the median for analysts was $138,570.
Below are official figures by role, with notes on what moves pay up or down. All numbers come from the latest federal wage survey. It covers May 2025 and was still the newest release in October 2026. For more career and tech explainers, see our science and technology guides.
Cybersecurity salaries at a glance
The government does not track every job title employers use. “Cybersecurity engineer” and “security specialist,” for example, are not separate categories in federal data. So the table maps common titles to the closest official occupation.
| Common job title | Closest BLS occupation | Median pay, May 2025 | Lowest 10% earned less than | Highest 10% earned more than |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cybersecurity analyst, security specialist | Information security analysts | $129,180 | $75,090 | $199,850 |
| Security engineer, security architect | Computer network architects | $134,050 | $79,900 | $202,680 |
| Security manager, CISO track | Computer and information systems managers | $175,140 | $107,550 | $297,510 |
| Common feeder job: sysadmin, network admin | Network and computer systems administrators | $99,130 | $62,640 | $155,050 |
Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook profiles for each occupation. The broad manager category includes IT directors outside security, so treat it as a rough guide for security leadership.
Cybersecurity analyst salary
Information security analysts are the core cybersecurity job in federal statistics. They monitor networks for attacks, investigate alerts, run security tools, test defenses and write up incidents. According to the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, their median pay was $129,180 in May 2025, or about $62 an hour.
Pay also depends on the industry. The information sector had the highest median, at $138,650. Computer systems design followed at $132,410, then finance and insurance at $130,630. Consulting firms paid a median of $125,420.
Demand is strong. The BLS projects analyst jobs to grow 21% from 2025 to 2035, from about 192,900 to 233,400 positions. That is much faster than the 3% average for all jobs. The agency expects about 14,100 openings a year, partly because of rising cyberattacks and wider use of artificial intelligence.
Cybersecurity entry level salary
There is no official “entry-level” wage, because the survey does not ask about experience. However, the bottom 10% of earners is a reasonable proxy for people just starting out. For information security analysts, that cutoff was $75,090 nationally in May 2025.
Many people do not start in a security title at all. The BLS notes that analysts often begin in an IT department, frequently as network and computer systems administrators. Those jobs had a median of $99,130, and the bottom 10% earned less than $62,640. Help desk and support roles, a common first step, tend to pay less still.
What raises a starting offer:
- A degree. The BLS lists a bachelor’s degree in computer science, IT or a related field as the typical entry requirement.
- Certifications. Many employers prefer them, and options exist for beginners as well as specialists. CareerOneStop, run by the Department of Labor, lists the main ones.
- Hands-on work. Home labs, internships and documented projects help when you lack job experience.
- Security clearance. Government and defense contractors often pay more for candidates who already hold one, because clearances take months to obtain.
Cybersecurity engineer salary
Security engineers design and build defenses rather than mainly watching for attacks. They set up firewalls, identity systems, encryption and cloud security controls. Because federal data has no separate category, the closest match is computer network architects, who design data networks and the protections around them.
The BLS figures for network architects show a median of $134,050 in May 2025. The top 10% earned more than $202,680. Growth is slower than for analysts, at 8% from 2025 to 2035, though still faster than average.
In practice, engineer titles cover a wide range. Some are close to network work, while others look more like software development, such as application security or cloud security engineering. Job postings and offer letters are the best guide to a specific role.
Cybersecurity specialist and management pay
“Security specialist” is a flexible title. Sometimes it means an analyst; sometimes it means an expert in one area, such as penetration testing, forensics or compliance. For pay purposes, the analyst figures above are the most relevant benchmark.
Moving into management is the most direct path to higher pay. The BLS says analysts can advance to roles such as chief security officer or computer and information systems manager. The median for IT managers was $175,140 in May 2025, and the top 10% earned more than $297,510. Those jobs usually require several years of experience and, often, a track record of leading teams.
Cybersecurity salaries in California and Los Angeles
Local wages vary a lot within the same state. The table below uses 2025 BLS wage data for information security analysts, as published by the Department of Labor’s O*NET OnLine local wages tool.
| Area | Lowest 10% | Median | Highest 10% |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $75,090 | $129,180 | $199,850 |
| California | $66,070 | $138,570 | $221,000 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | $54,230 | $129,630 | $195,820 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont | $61,860 | $162,310 | $246,070 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara | $90,290 | $176,120 | $278,340 |
The Los Angeles median is close to the national figure, even though living costs are higher. The low end in Los Angeles is also wider, which suggests more junior and lower-paid security roles in the region. By contrast, the Bay Area pays far more at every level, largely because of its concentration of tech companies.
What moves cybersecurity pay up or down
Several factors explain why two people with the same title earn very different salaries:
- Experience. Pay rises steeply over the first five to ten years, especially when you move from monitoring to design or leadership.
- Specialty. Cloud security, incident response and security architecture often pay above general analyst roles.
- Employer type. Large tech, finance and consulting firms tend to pay more than small businesses or local government.
- On-call duties. The BLS notes some analysts work more than 40 hours a week or are on call for emergencies, which can come with extra pay.
- AI skills. Employers increasingly use machine learning to sort alerts, so people who understand these tools can stand out. Our explainers on artificial intelligence vs. machine learning and the pros and cons of AI cover the basics.
Keep in mind that medians describe the whole workforce. A single offer can land well above or below them, so compare several postings in your area before negotiating.
How cybersecurity pay compares with other jobs
Security work pays well even by tech standards. The BLS puts the May 2025 median for all computer occupations at $109,470, so analysts earn about $20,000 more than the typical tech worker. The median for all U.S. occupations was $50,980, which means analysts earn roughly two and a half times the national middle.
Still, the job has trade-offs. Incidents do not keep office hours, and a breach can mean long nights. Many roles also expect you to keep learning, since attack methods change every year. If you are weighing the field, talk to people already doing the work, and look at real postings near you before you commit to a degree or certificate.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average cybersecurity analyst salary?
The BLS reports a median of $129,180 a year for information security analysts in May 2025. Half of analysts earned more and half earned less.
What is a typical cybersecurity entry level salary?
Federal data does not track experience, but the lowest 10% of analysts earned under $75,090 nationally. Many beginners start in IT support or systems administration, where pay is lower.
How much does a cybersecurity engineer make?
The closest official category, computer network architects, had a median of $134,050 in May 2025. Engineers in cloud or application security can earn more.
What is a cybersecurity specialist salary?
Specialist is not a separate federal category. Most specialist roles fall under information security analysts, so the $129,180 median is the best benchmark.
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Sources
- bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/information-secu…
- bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/computer-network…
- bls.gov/ooh/management/computer-and-information-systems-managers…
- bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/network-and-comp…
- onetonline.org/link/localwages/15-1212.00