Cybersecurity Salary Explorer
What is a cyber security salary in the US? For information security analysts the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median of $129,180 a year (May 2025), with the lowest-paid tenth under $75,090 and the highest-paid tenth over $199,850. Choose a role and experience level below to see where it sits in that range, and enter your own pay to see where you fall.
SOC analyst · Early career
$75,090 to $102,135a year, US
This is our illustrative slice of the BLS range for Information Security Analysts (see how it is built below). It is not a BLS statistic and not a pay offer.
- 10th percentile
- under $75,090
- Median
- $129,180
- 90th percentile
- over $199,850
Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Information Security Analysts, May 2025. 192,900 US jobs in 2025; projected change 2025 to 2035: +21%.
BLS has no separate SOC analyst series. SOC analysts are counted inside Information Security Analysts.
Compare the BLS occupations (median, with 10th to 90th percentile range)
- Computer and Information Systems Managersmedian $175,140
- Software Developersmedian $135,980
- Computer Network Architectsmedian $134,050
- Information Security Analystsmedian $129,180
- Network and Computer Systems Administratorsmedian $99,130
- Computer Support Specialistsmedian $62,890
Data: May 2025 wage data (BLS pages last modified 27 August 2026; checked 3 November 2026).
How these numbers are built, and what they leave out
The median, 10th and 90th percentile come straight from BLS (May 2025 wage data (BLS pages last modified 27 August 2026; checked 3 November 2026)). The experience bands are ours: we split the published range into early (10th percentile to halfway to the median), mid and senior. BLS does not report wages by years of experience, so treat the bands as a way to read the range, not as data.
Not shown, because we could not verify it from a primary source: pay by state or city, by employer size, by certification, and total compensation with bonus or equity. For location, use the BLS OEWS state and metro tables. BLS wages are base pay from employer surveys and exclude self-employed people.
Next steps: pick the exam that fits your role in the certification roadmap, read the entry-level jobs guide or the SOC analyst career guide, and get your CV checked with Resume Review.
TL;DRKey facts
4 points
- The median US pay for information security analysts was $129,180 a year in May 2025 (BLS). The lowest-paid tenth earned under $75,090; the highest-paid tenth over $199,850.
- Computer and information systems managers, the closest BLS group to security directors and CISOs, had a median of $175,140.
- Pick a role and experience level to see where it sits in the official range. Enter your own pay to see roughly which percentile it falls at.
- Every dollar figure is from BLS with its date. Where BLS has no data (by state, by years of experience, by certification) the tool says so instead of guessing.
Frequently asked questions
How much do cybersecurity professionals make?
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $129,180 for information security analysts (May 2025). The lowest 10 percent earned less than $75,090 and the highest 10 percent more than $199,850. Managers in computer and information systems, the closest BLS group to security leadership, had a median of $175,140.
What is the average cyber security analyst salary?
BLS publishes a median rather than an average for the occupation: $129,180 a year for information security analysts in May 2025. The median is the middle wage: half of analysts earned more, half less. SOC analysts, incident responders and penetration testers are all counted in this group.
What is an entry-level cybersecurity salary?
BLS does not publish pay by years of experience. The published low end is useful as a ceiling for the very bottom: the lowest-paid 10 percent of information security analysts earned under $75,090. This tool shows an illustrative early-career band between that figure and the halfway point to the median. Job ads, location and employer type move real offers a lot.
How much does a SOC analyst make?
BLS has no separate series for SOC analysts. They are counted in information security analysts, median $129,180 in May 2025. Tier 1 analysts usually start in the lower part of that range and Tier 2 or 3 analysts move toward and above the median. See the SOC analyst career guide for what each tier does.
How much does a CISO make?
BLS does not list CISOs. The closest group, computer and information systems managers, had a median of $175,140 and a 90th percentile above $297,510 in May 2025. Pay at large or regulated companies, and total compensation with bonus and equity, can be higher than these base-wage figures.
Do certifications raise cybersecurity pay?
BLS does not measure pay by certification, so this tool does not claim a dollar uplift for any certificate. Certifications are widely listed in job ads and help you pass screening; employer-run and industry salary surveys that report uplifts use different methods and samples. See the certifications guide for cost and who asks for each.
Is cybersecurity a good career for pay and demand?
BLS projects employment of information security analysts to grow 21% from 2025 to 2035, with about 192,900 US jobs in 2025. Several adjacent IT roles are projected to shrink: network and computer systems administrators 4% lower, computer support specialists 3% lower.
Where does this data come from and how current is it?
All figures are from the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook pages for each occupation, based on the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, on pages last modified 27 August 2026 and checked on 3 November 2026. State and city figures are in the BLS OEWS tables and are not shown here.
Sources
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Information Security Analysts (May 2025 wages)
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Computer and Information Systems Managers (May 2025 wages)
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Computer Network Architects (May 2025 wages)
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Network and Computer Systems Administrators (May 2025 wages)
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Software Developers (May 2025 wages)
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Computer Support Specialists (May 2025 wages)
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