Updated September 2026
Cybersecurity Salary Report 2026
Based on the 971 active postings that disclose pay, the median cybersecurity salary is $176k (25th-75th percentile $139k-$215k). Every figure below is computed live from disclosed-pay roles; each row shows its sample size.
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By role
| Specialization | Median (USD) | 25th-75th | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Identity & Access | $191k | $141k - $233k | 13 |
| Security Engineering | $191k | $149k - $250k | 25 |
| AI Security | $187k | $175k - $211k | 13 |
| AppSec | $173k | $167k - $205k | 9 |
| GRC | $171k | $144k - $206k | 10 |
| Detection Engineering | $119k | $100k - $135k | 14 |
By seniority
| Level | Median (USD) | 25th-75th | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|
| VP | $296k | $271k - $369k | 14 |
| Director | $238k | $215k - $281k | 68 |
| Principal | $209k | $190k - $237k | 65 |
| Staff | $187k | $167k - $203k | 85 |
| Senior | $175k | $130k - $220k | 169 |
| Manager | $168k | $141k - $206k | 285 |
| Mid | $149k | $110k - $190k | 272 |
| Entry | $79k | $77k - $104k | 9 |
By country
| Country | Median (USD) | 25th-75th | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $182k | $147k - $215k | 703 |
| United Kingdom | $169k | $132k - $246k | 15 |
| Canada | $146k | $121k - $167k | 65 |
| Germany | $130k | $108k - $205k | 12 |
| Ireland | $110k | $85k - $140k | 20 |
| Spain | $93k | $93k - $112k | 12 |
By city
| City | Median (USD) | 25th-75th | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Addison | $228k | $147k - $247k | 16 |
| London | $211k | $169k - $273k | 8 |
| Palo Alto | $207k | $191k - $226k | 21 |
| Remote | $204k | $187k - $239k | 18 |
| Santa Clara | $203k | $189k - $213k | 14 |
| San Francisco | $198k | $166k - $231k | 48 |
| San Jose | $191k | $174k - $208k | 30 |
| Remote - Illinois | $188k | $188k - $189k | 8 |
| Remote - California | $188k | $142k - $214k | 10 |
| Bellevue | $187k | $157k - $212k | 41 |
| New York | $182k | $160k - $210k | 13 |
| Chicago | $169k | $153k - $192k | 12 |
| Washington | $167k | $150k - $207k | 17 |
| Boston | $163k | $115k - $180k | 12 |
| Atlanta | $159k | $131k - $175k | 25 |
| Austin | $149k | $128k - $159k | 8 |
| Toronto | $139k | $118k - $146k | 27 |
| Dublin | $92k | $72k - $140k | 11 |
By US state
Disclosed-pay postings with a parsed US state. State pay-transparency laws mean California, New York, Washington, and Colorado employers disclose most. Each state has a dedicated page with live disclosed-pay roles: cybersecurity salary by state →
| State | Median (USD) | 25th-75th | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $206k | $191k - $221k | 32 |
| California | $194k | $169k - $224k | 155 |
| Texas | $186k | $144k - $229k | 14 |
| New York | $179k | $160k - $233k | 21 |
| Washington | $173k | $150k - $203k | 21 |
| Illinois | $167k | $105k - $192k | 8 |
| Massachusetts | $160k | $115k - $180k | 12 |
| Georgia | $152k | $131k - $175k | 26 |
| Colorado | $129k | $113k - $229k | 8 |
Remote vs onsite
Remote roles carry a -4% median pay difference over onsite, among disclosed-pay postings.
| Arrangement | Median (USD) | Postings |
|---|---|---|
| Remote | $173k | 348 |
| Onsite | $180k | 204 |
| Hybrid | $182k | 293 |
Salary by certification
Median pay for roles that list each certification, and the lift versus the overall median. Correlation, not causation - senior roles tend to both pay more and ask for more certs.
| Certification | Median (USD) | Lift vs overall | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|
| CCSK | $215k | +22% | 16 |
| CISSP | $188k | +7% | 56 |
| CCSP | $188k | +7% | 29 |
| GIAC | $176k | +0% | 26 |
| CompTIA Security+ | $151k | -14% | 13 |
| CEH | $144k | -18% | 8 |
See also the certification ROI lookup.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median cybersecurity salary in 2026?
Across the 971 active postings on InfoSec Job Board that disclose pay, the median cybersecurity salary is $176k (25th-75th percentile $139k-$215k), as of September 2026.
Which cybersecurity role pays the most?
Among roles with enough disclosed-salary data, Identity & Access has the highest median at $191k (from 13 postings).
Do remote cybersecurity jobs pay more?
Remote roles show a median of $173k vs $180k for onsite - a -4% difference, among postings that disclose pay.
Which certification has the biggest salary lift?
CCSK is associated with the largest salary lift - a median +22% versus the overall median (from 16 postings that list it). This is correlation, not causation.
How is this salary data collected?
These figures are computed live from active cybersecurity job postings on InfoSec Job Board. Only the subset that disclose a salary range is used; per-cut medians appear only where the sample is large enough (8+ postings).
Methodology
Figures are computed directly from active cybersecurity job postings on InfoSec Job Board, refreshed daily (September 2026). Salary medians cover only the 971 postings that disclose pay; each cut is shown only where the sample is large enough to be meaningful (8+ postings), and every row carries its sample size. Where a cut is too thin, it is omitted rather than estimated. Browse the underlying roles in our job board, by country, or by specialization (detection, cloud, GRC). See also the State of Cybersecurity Hiring report.
By Andrew Tjong. Andrew Tjong is the founder of InfoSec Job Board, where he analyzes hiring and salary data across the cybersecurity employers tracked on the platform. Published 2026-06-25; updated September 2026.
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