Security salaries: what security jobs advertise
Security postings that state pay run $128,000 to $220,000 for the middle half, median $173,000, from 1,890 paid postings from 834 employers. With function, level and industry matched, pay is +12.2% (about $19k a year) against other functions.
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By Justin KullaLast updated
Security pay range
From 1,890 paid postings from 834 employers. Annual, in US dollars.
- Lower quarter
- $128,000
- Median
- $173,000
- Upper quarter
- $220,000
The median for all professional postings is $140,000, so Security is above it. With function, level and industry matched, Security pay is +12.2% (about $19k a year) against other functions.
Security pay by level
Levels with at least 30 paid postings from 8 employers.
| Group | Median | Middle half | Gap | Postings | Employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Early career | $125,000 | $100,500 to $170,000 | n/a | 422 | 252 |
| Mid-level | $175,000 | $139,000 to $220,000 | n/a | 324 | 183 |
| Senior individual contributor | $193,000 | $153,000 to $230,000 | n/a | 632 | 345 |
| Manager | $165,500 | $121,000 to $211,000 | n/a | 289 | 166 |
| Director | $197,500 | $162,500 to $247,500 | n/a | 145 | 122 |
| VP and above | $250,500 | $191,000 to $312,000 | n/a | 52 | 43 |
Skills that go with higher Security pay
Skills listed on 50 or more paid postings from 10 employers in this function, by median pay.
| Skill | Median pay listing it | Raw gap | Gap, job mix matched | Postings | Employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Logistics | $143,000 | −16% | +8.9% | 3,784 | 1,083 |
| TypeScript | $205,000 | +24.2% | +8.2% | 2,009 | 739 |
| Kubernetes | $206,000 | +24.8% | +7.7% | 2,444 | 680 |
| JavaScript | $180,000 | +7.8% | −5.3% | 1,257 | 456 |
| C++ | $202,500 | +22.7% | +10.3% | 2,258 | 400 |
| Supply Chain | $165,000 | −1.7% | −3.1% | 3,706 | 854 |
| HIPAA | $197,500 | +18.1% | +7.4% | 688 | 309 |
| Machine Learning | $209,000 | +26.5% | +13.1% | 2,968 | 732 |
Compare with other functions
The groups ranked just above and below by median.
All 21 functions · 1,890 postings in this one
Questions about this data
- How much do Security jobs pay?
- $128,000 to $220,000 for the middle half, median $173,000, from 1,890 paid postings from 834 employers that state pay. That is above the $140,000 median for all professional postings. It is advertised pay, not what people are paid.
- Is Security pay higher or lower once the job mix is matched?
- With function, level and industry matched, advertised pay is +12.2% (about $19k a year) against other functions.
- How does Security pay change with level?
- Early career: $125,000; Mid-level: $175,000; Senior individual contributor: $193,000; Manager: $165,500; Director: $197,500; VP and above: $250,500.
Method, download and how to cite
Data as of November 3, 2026. Rebuilt daily.
Pay is the midpoint of the range an employer posted (or stated in the posting text), converted to a year, on live U.S. professional jobs. It is advertised pay, not what anyone is paid.
A “gap, job mix matched” compares postings inside cells of the same function, level and industry, so a group is not credited for simply holding more senior or better-paid roles. It needs 150 or more postings across at least 5 cells with 15 postings on each side, and is shown as n/a otherwise. A gap is a difference in advertised pay between postings. It does not show that a skill, an industry or an employer size causes higher pay.
Download the CSV (aggregates only; no posting, employer or person is in it). Cite as: NextChapter, “Advertised pay in Security (function) on U.S. professional job postings”, data as of November 3, 2026, https://launchyournextchapter.com/resources/pay-data/function/security
See also the AI skills salary premium, which uses the same method for AI skills only, and the salary by job title pages.
More pay data
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