How much do cybersecurity analysts make?

Cybersecurity Analyst salary 2026 · BLS occupation: Information Security Analysts (SOC 15-1212) · Updated October 28, 2026

Answer

Cybersecurity analysts in the US earned a median of $129,180 a year ($62.11 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned $97,810 to $163,500.

Median annual pay: $129,180; Mean $132,510
Median hourly pay: $62.11; Mean $63.71
Typical range (10th–90th): $75.1K–$200K; $75,090 to $199,850
US jobs: 190,650; +21.0% projected, 2025–35

BLS OEWS, May 2025, released April 30, 2026. Wages include tips, commissions and production bonuses but not overtime premiums, shift differentials, other bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers are not included. Methodology

How to become a cybersecurity analyst: steps, years and cost · Best-paying state after cost of living: Washington

Cybersecurity Analyst pay range

Annual wages, May 2025

10th percentile$75,090
25th percentile$97,810
Median$129,180
75th percentile$163,500
90th percentile$199,850

Half of all cybersecurity analysts earned more than $129,180 and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% made under $75,090; the top 10% made over $199,850. The middle 50%, from the 25th to the 75th percentile, ran from $97,810 to $163,500.

These percentiles describe everyone in the occupation at one time. They are not pay steps by years of experience: they mix new and senior workers, different states, employers and hours. Pay generally rises with experience, credentials and specialization, but BLS does not publish pay by experience.

Percentile	Annual	Hourly	Monthly
10th	$75,090	$36.10	$6,258
25th	$97,810	$47.03	$8,151
Median (50th)	$129,180	$62.11	$10,765
75th	$163,500	$78.61	$13,625
90th	$199,850	$96.08	$16,654
Mean (average)	$132,510	$63.71	$11,043

Cybersecurity Analyst salary by state

Median annual pay; cost of living from BEA regional price parities 2024

Median annual pay for cybersecurity analysts by state. Darker tiles pay more. A dash means BLS did not publish a figure.

Highest-paying states

1. Washington $154,940
2. Maryland $139,640
3. California $138,570
4. Delaware $137,030
5. Massachusetts $136,550

Lowest-paying states

48. Montana $81,950
47. Mississippi $87,690
46. Nebraska $92,550
45. Louisiana $92,990
44. Oklahoma $94,000

Best after cost of living: Washington. Its median of $154,940 is worth about $144,786 at national-average prices.


Alabama	$122,730	22	$138,174	4	$59.00	4,010	1.90
Alaska	$114,990	27	$112,340	33	$55.28	300	0.92
Arizona	$125,260	18	$124,418	19	$60.22	3,420	1.06
Arkansas	$103,490	36	$119,040	28	$49.76	1,460	1.12
California	$138,570	3	$125,154	17	$66.62	15,570	0.85
Colorado	$135,220	6	$131,215	13	$65.01	5,700	1.98
Connecticut	$130,570	13	$126,021	15	$62.77	1,170	0.69
Delaware	$137,030	4	$137,294	5	$65.88	720	1.48
District of Columbia	$135,090	7	$122,920	22	$64.95	1,510	2.16
Florida	$124,860	19	$120,738	24	$60.03	14,220	1.43
Georgia	$128,970	16	$133,935	7	$62.00	6,290	1.29
Hawaii	$126,250	17	$114,824	30	$60.70	580	0.92
Idaho	—	—	—	—	—	840	0.98
Illinois	$124,180	20	$124,232	20	$59.70	5,260	0.86
Indiana	$101,420	40	$108,669	37	$48.76	2,260	0.71
Iowa	$119,710	23	$136,403	6	$57.55	1,160	0.74
Kansas	$100,620	41	$111,716	35	$48.38	1,830	1.27
Kentucky	$103,630	35	$114,941	29	$49.82	1,680	0.84
Louisiana	$92,990	45	$105,422	43	$44.71	720	0.37
Maine	$101,730	38	$104,822	44	$48.91	400	0.62
Maryland	$139,640	2	$133,042	10	$67.14	8,650	3.13
Massachusetts	$136,550	5	$129,117	14	$65.65	6,100	1.68
Michigan	$106,230	32	$110,407	36	$51.07	3,280	0.74
Minnesota	$130,710	12	$132,538	11	$62.84	2,680	0.91
Mississippi	$87,690	47	$100,848	46	$42.16	480	0.41
Missouri	$103,440	37	$113,899	31	$49.73	3,260	1.11
Montana	$81,950	48	$86,587	48	$39.40	380	0.74
Nebraska	$92,550	46	$102,716	45	$44.50	1,210	1.19
Nevada	$106,200	33	$106,222	42	$51.06	1,330	0.86
New Hampshire	$124,000	21	$119,042	27	$59.62	590	0.86
New Jersey	$134,820	9	$123,910	21	$64.82	4,860	1.13
New Mexico	$130,070	14	$141,055	2	$62.54	2,470	2.84
New York	$134,660	10	$124,776	18	$64.74	10,060	1.04
North Carolina	$131,540	11	$139,453	3	$63.24	8,670	1.75
North Dakota	$107,540	31	$120,887	23	$51.70	310	0.73
Ohio	$110,480	28	$119,085	26	$53.11	6,010	1.08
Oklahoma	$94,000	44	$107,009	39	$45.19	1,640	0.96
Oregon	—	—	—	—	—	2,250	1.15
Pennsylvania	$117,770	24	$120,701	25	$56.62	4,660	0.77
Rhode Island	$109,420	30	$106,981	40	$52.61	710	1.41
South Carolina	$105,800	34	$112,855	32	$50.87	1,720	0.75
South Dakota	$116,640	25	$131,669	12	$56.08	770	1.68
Tennessee	$115,430	26	$125,645	16	$55.50	3,330	1.01
Texas	$129,890	15	$133,829	8	$62.45	16,130	1.15
Utah	$99,690	42	$100,835	47	$47.93	1,910	1.10
Vermont	$109,750	29	$112,038	34	$52.77	220	0.72
Virginia	$134,900	8	$133,427	9	$64.86	19,120	4.65
Washington	$154,940	1	$144,786	1	$74.49	6,030	1.70
West Virginia	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Wisconsin	$101,550	39	$107,923	38	$48.82	2,130	0.72
Wyoming	$98,710	43	$106,494	41	$47.46	140	0.48

BLS OEWS, May 2025, state estimates. Adjusted pay = median ÷ (state price level ÷ 100), using BEA regional price parities for 2024; it ignores taxes. Figures for states with few workers in the occupation have larger survey errors and can change sharply from one year to the next. “—” means BLS did not publish the figure (3 states). State names link to each state’s highest-paying jobs.

Best-paying metro areas for cybersecurity analysts

245 metro areas with published pay

Highest median pay
Metro area	Median	Adjusted	Jobs
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	$176,120	$159,496	2,280
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$162,310	$140,391	3,730
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	$161,780	$145,573	4,700
Boulder, CO	$154,990	$147,326	520
Asheville, NC	$149,350	$154,757	200
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	$148,950	$136,797	16,560
Wilmington, NC	$145,170	$150,557	230
Raleigh-Cary, NC	$143,640	$146,337	2,510
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	$140,470	$124,792	11,330
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD	$138,170	$132,237	4,600

Most jobs
Metro area	Jobs	Median	Adjusted
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	16,560	$148,950	$136,797
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	11,330	$140,470	$124,792
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	7,080	$133,610	$129,605
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH	5,220	$136,550	$126,125
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	4,820	$129,630	$114,145
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	4,700	$161,780	$145,573
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD	4,600	$138,170	$132,237
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA	4,550	$131,490	$131,414
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	3,730	$162,310	$140,391
Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO	3,580	$136,670	$129,200

BLS OEWS, May 2025, metropolitan statistical areas; adjusted with BEA metro price parities (2024).

What moves cybersecurity analyst pay: employers and settings

Industry makes a moderate difference for cybersecurity analysts. Scientific research and development services pay a median of $137,950; architectural and engineering firms $132,610. Computer systems design firms, the largest employer, pay $132,410; banks and other credit intermediation $130,840; corporate headquarters $128,950; and consulting firms $125,420. The federal government median is $138,280; state government ($98,010) and local government ($100,310) are lower.

Location matters more. Washington has the highest state median at $154,940, followed by Maryland at $139,640, California at $138,570, Delaware at $137,030, and Massachusetts at $136,550. The lowest are Nebraska at $92,550, Mississippi at $87,690, and Montana at $81,950. Adjusted for living costs, Washington still leads at $144,786. Virginia has the most jobs, reflecting defense and federal contracting work.

Pay across the field runs from a 10th percentile of $75,090, to a 90th percentile of $199,850, a spread shaped by employer, location, specialty and level of responsibility. Security clearances, cloud and incident-response skills and certifications such as CISSP tend to open the higher-paying roles, though our data does not report pay by credential.

Where cybersecurity analysts work
Industry	Share of jobs	Median pay
Computer Systems Design and Related Services	22.8%	$132,410
Management of Companies and Enterprises	10.2%	$128,950
Credit Intermediation and Related Activities (5221 and 5223 only)	7.8%	$130,840
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services	6.5%	$125,420
Scientific Research and Development Services	4%	$137,950
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services	3.9%	$132,610

Private employers and government
Employer type	Jobs	Median pay
Private employers	181,130	$130,310
Federal government (incl. Postal Service)	340	$138,280
State government (incl. schools and hospitals)	5,000	$98,010
Local government (incl. schools and hospitals)	4,180	$100,310

BLS OEWS, May 2025, national industry-specific and ownership estimates (4-digit NAICS).

Cybersecurity Analyst pay over time

Median annual pay, 2019–2025

$129K $99.7K

2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025

Nominal median (dollars of each year)In May 2025 dollars (adjusted with CPI-U)

The median rose from $99,730 in 2019 to $129,180 in 2025, up 30% in nominal dollars. After inflation, the 2019 median is worth $125,188 in May 2025 dollars, so real pay grew 3% over the period.

The series starts in 2019 because BLS changed how it defines or publishes this occupation before then, so earlier figures are not comparable.

BLS OEWS, May 2025 and earlier May releases; inflation from the CPI-U, US city average, May of each year.

What cybersecurity analysts do

A cybersecurity analyst (the official BLS title is information security analyst) protects an organization's computers, networks and data from attackers and from its own mistakes. Day to day that means watching security alerts, deciding which ones are real, and investigating suspicious logins, malware and data leaving the network. Analysts also hunt for weaknesses before attackers do: they run vulnerability scans, push teams to patch systems, review firewall and access settings, and check that the company meets security rules for its industry. When a breach happens, they help contain it, figure out what was taken and write up what went wrong.

Most cyber security jobs are in offices or remote, at IT consulting and managed security firms, banks, corporate headquarters, defense contractors and government agencies. Analysts work closely with network and systems administrators, software developers and compliance staff, and they train employees to spot phishing. Larger organizations run a security operations center (SOC) around the clock, so some analysts work shifts or take on-call duty for incidents. The title overlaps with security analyst and cybersecurity engineer, which usually means more design and building of defenses.

A typical day

Triage alerts from security monitoring tools and decide which need a full investigation
Dig through logs and network traffic to trace suspicious activity back to its source
Run vulnerability scans and track fixes with the teams that own each system
Set up and tune firewalls, endpoint protection, encryption and access controls
Respond to incidents: isolate infected machines, preserve evidence and write the report
Check systems against security policies and regulations, and document the results for auditors
Teach staff to recognize phishing and handle sensitive data safely

Also called: cyber security, cybersecurity, cyber security analyst, information security analyst, cybersecurity engineer, security analyst, information security officer, information security specialist.

How to become a cybersecurity analyst

Full guide

To become a cybersecurity analyst, most people earn a bachelor's degree in computer science, IT or cybersecurity, get 1-2 years of IT experience, and earn a certification such as CompTIA Security+. Expect about 4 to 6 years from the start of college; no license is required.

Typical time: 4-6 years; Fastest: About 2-3 years
Minimum education: Bachelor's degree in computer science, information technology, cybersecurity or a related field (some enter with an associate degree, certifications and IT experience)
License: Not licensed (certification optional, but often required by employers and for Defense Department cyber jobs)
Typical training cost: $9.5K–$39.7K; See the guide for what it includes

Read the step-by-step guide to becoming a cybersecurity analyst: each step with its time and cost, education options, exams, licensing and advancement.

Is it worth it? Training cost against pay

Compare careers

Training time: 4-6 years; Typical path in our guide
Training cost: $9.5K–$39.7K; Tuition and exam fees, before aid
Median pay: $129,180; $78,200 above the all-jobs median ($50,980)
Cost vs. one year's pay: 7–31%; Training cost as a share of a year at the median

Once qualified, the pay difference over the typical US job at the median ($78,200 a year before tax) would repay the training cost in less than a year after training ends (4-6 years in our guide). This is a rough guide: it ignores taxes, financial aid, interest, earnings given up while training and how pay changes over a career. How we calculate ROI.

Job outlook for cybersecurity analysts

BLS Employment Projections 2025–35

Projected growth: +21.0%; All occupations +3.5%
Jobs in 2025: 192,900; 233,400 projected for 2035
Openings each year: 14,100; New jobs plus replacements
Self-employed: 0.2%; Not in the pay figures above

BLS projects information security analyst jobs to grow 21% from 2025 to 2035, from 192,900 to 233,400, six times the 3.5% rate for all occupations. That works out to about 14,100 openings a year. BLS expects companies to keep adding security staff and tools as cyberattacks on sensitive and financial data increase. Automation and artificial intelligence tools that handle routine monitoring are expected to slow that growth slightly, which puts a premium on analysts who can investigate and respond rather than only watch alerts. Entry-level roles still usually expect some prior IT experience.

Related careers and their pay

Network Engineer$134,050
Software Engineer$135,980
IT Support Specialist$61,860
Detective$93,790
Computer Occupations, All Other$116,580

Related occupations from O*NET 31.0; median annual pay from BLS OEWS, May 2025.

Cybersecurity Analyst salary FAQ

How much do cybersecurity analysts make an hour?

The median hourly wage for cybersecurity analysts was $62.11 in May 2025. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $36.10 an hour and the highest-paid 10% more than $96.08. Hourly figures are BLS estimates for all workers in the occupation, full-time and part-time.

Which state pays cybersecurity analysts the most?

Washington has the highest median pay for cybersecurity analysts, $154,940 a year, followed by Maryland ($139,640) and California ($138,570). After adjusting for each state's price level, Washington comes out ahead at about $144,786 in national-average dollars.

Do cybersecurity analysts make $200,000 a year?

Few do: based on the BLS percentiles, fewer than 10% of cybersecurity analysts earn more than $200,000 a year. The median is $129,180, and the top 10% earn more than $199,850. Pay generally rises with experience, specialization and location.

Is cybersecurity a good career for beginners?

It is a growing field, but it is rarely a true entry-level job. BLS notes that many analysts first work in IT, often as network or systems administrators, and the typical path asks for some related experience. Beginners usually start in IT support, help desk or a junior security operations center role, earn an entry certification such as CompTIA Security+ or ISC2 CC, and move into analyst work after a year or more.

Can cybersecurity analysts work from home?

Many can, at least part of the week. Monitoring, investigation and policy work happen on computers and can be done remotely at many private companies. Jobs that handle classified information, many defense and federal positions, and some security operations centers require on-site work. Remote roles tend to attract many applicants, so experience matters even more there.

What is the difference between a cybersecurity analyst and a cybersecurity engineer?

An analyst mainly monitors, investigates and assesses: watching alerts, testing for weaknesses and responding to incidents. A cybersecurity engineer mainly designs and builds the defenses, such as network segmentation, identity systems and security automation. In practice the titles overlap, and BLS counts both under information security analysts. Engineers usually need stronger networking, scripting or cloud skills.

Sources

Data updated October 28, 2026 · Text checked against its sources October 28, 2026

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates, released April 30, 2026, SOC 15-1212
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035, released September 2026
O*NET 31.0 Database (15-1212.00), U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0; tasks rewritten by Careers and Salaries
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by state and metro area, 2024
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, May values
U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard field-of-study and institution data, most recent cohorts, released 2026-10-15
Information Security Analysts, Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · checked October 28, 2026
License Finder, CareerOneStop, U.S. Department of Labor · checked October 28, 2026
Security+ (V7) Certification, CompTIA · checked October 28, 2026
ISC2 Exam Pricing, ISC2 · checked October 28, 2026
Certified in Cybersecurity (CC), ISC2 · checked October 28, 2026
About the NCAE-C Program, National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity (NSA) · checked October 28, 2026
CISSP Certification, ISC2 · checked October 28, 2026
ISC2 Annual Maintenance Fees, ISC2 · checked October 28, 2026
Certification Renewal Policy, CompTIA · checked October 28, 2026
ISC2 Certifications & Training Approved Under DoD 8140, ISC2 · checked October 28, 2026

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