CISSP Salary: Your 2026 Guide
The Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification is one of the most respected in the cybersecurity field. Explore the typical CISSP salary below.
![[Featured Image] A person working for a CISSP salary sits at a large desk with multiple desktops and types on a keyboard.](https://d3njjcbhbojbot.cloudfront.net/api/utilities/v1/imageproxy/https://images.ctfassets.net/wp1lcwdav1p1/5xgtPxpnqdAuh265enzaXs/14cb1ed4931e6e4d5891a0e725585479/GettyImages-1442979224.jpg?w=1500&h=680&q=60&fit=fill&f=faces&fm=jpg&fl=progressive&auto=format%2Ccompress&dpr=1&w=1000)
Key takeaways
The Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) demonstrates your industry knowledge and cybersecurity leadership abilities.
According to Glassdoor, the median total salary for all CISSP holders in the US is $164,000 [1].
Your CISSP salary may vary depending on the CISSP-related role you're working in, such as chief information officer, IT manager, security systems engineer, security analyst, or security architect.
You can increase your CISSP certification salary by accumulating more years of experience, moving to high-paying cities, and changing industries or companies.
Explore the typical earnings of CISSPs and the range of variables that may impact your salary. If you’re ready to start building expertise in cybersecurity, enroll in ISC2’s Certified in Cybersecurity Specialization. You’ll have the opportunity to learn fundamental security terminology, network security, security operations, and more in as little as four weeks. Upon completion, you’ll have earned a career certificate for your resume.
What is CISSP and its requirements?
The CISSP is a globally recognized, vendor-neutral IT security certification. It’s ideal for any IT security professional who’s looking for a way to prove their technical understanding and hands-on experience with cybersecurity programs for organizations.
The International Information System Security Certification Consortium, or ISC2, manages the CISSP program and has strict eligibility requirements. First, it requires a minimum of five years of experience working in at least two of the eight domains of the ISC2 CISSP Common Body of Knowledge (CBK), which are [2]:
Security and risk management
Asset security
Security architecture and engineering
Communication and network security
Identity and access management (IAM)
Security assessment and testing
Security operations
Software development security
How do I gain experience to meet the CISSP requirements?
You can gain this experience working full- or part-time. If you work full-time, your experience builds monthly, meaning you receive one month of experience every four weeks you work at least 35 hours. If you choose to work part-time, you must work between 20 and 34 hours per week. You’ll receive six months of working credit for every 1,040 hours of part-time work and 12 months for every 2,080 part-time hours you work [2].
Internships qualify for experience, but experience must be documented on corporate letterhead to count. You can also get up to one year of working credit by earning a four-year college degree or an advanced degree in information security or a related field.
Who earns a CISSP?
The CISSP program can help you land a wide range of cybersecurity roles. A CISSP will benefit almost any IT security role, such as:
Chief information officer
IT director
Network architect
Cybersecurity manager
What is the salary for CISSP holders?
The typical CISSP holder in the US will have a role under the information security analyst umbrella, earning a median annual salary of $124,910, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics [3].
According to Glassdoor, the median total salary in the US among all CISSP holders is $164,000 [1]. This figure includes base salary and additional pay, which may represent profit-sharing, commissions, bonuses, or other compensation. Keep in mind that CISSP is only a certification, and your actual CISSP salary may vary based on your role, experience level, location, and more.
Factors that impact CISSP salary
Like many salaries in the US, CISSP salaries are impacted by location, experience, education level, and more. Since CISSP is a certification and not a job title, your salary may also vary depending on the role you work in. Consider each factor and how it impacts the CISSP salary.
Role
The role you earn with your CISSP certification may greatly impact your CISSP salary. Five common roles for CISSP holders and their salaries according to several job posting sites include:
*Salaries are sourced from Zippia, Glassdoor, and Payscale and are accurate as of February 2026.
| Zippia (average salary) | Glassdoor (median total salary) | Payscale (average base salary) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chief information officer | $146,907 | $319,000 | $182,490 |
| IT manager | $119,589 | $129,000 | $99,007 |
| Security systems engineer | $103,018 | $177,000 | $112,985 |
| Security analyst | $98,144 | $126,000 | $75,480 |
| Security architect | $128,636 | $227,000 | $149,773 |
Read more: What Is a Good Salary?
Experience
Most workers gain more knowledge the longer they work in a field. This makes them more effective employees and may lead to a higher salary. Using median total salary data from Glassdoor, consider how your years of experience impact the five roles associated with a CISSP certification [4, 5, 6, 7, 8].
| 0–1 years | 1–3 years | 4–6 years | 7–9 years | 10–14 years | 15+ years | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chief information officer | $273,000 | $252,000 | $238,000 | $247,000 | $269,000 | $294,000 |
| IT manager | $98,000 | $98,000 | $107,000 | $113,000 | $125,000 | $143,000 |
| Security systems engineer | $121,000 | $129,000 | $147,000 | $158,000 | $173,000 | $191,000 |
| Security analyst | $100,000 | $112,000 | $131,000 | $138,000 | $148,000 | $159,000 |
| Security architect | $159,000 | $161,000 | $178,000 | $207,000 | $216,000 | $221,000 |
All salary information represents the median total pay from Glassdoor as of February 2026. These figures include base salary and additional pay, which may represent profit-sharing, commissions, bonuses, or other compensation.
Location
Location can impact your CISSP salary, whether to compensate for the area’s cost of living, income taxes, or the supply of workers in the region. If relocation is an option, it may be best to check out some of the highest-paying cities for a CISSP-related role. However, compare any higher salary to the cost of living to ensure it makes sense to make that move.
CISSP certification salary by city
According to Zippia, the cities with the highest pay for the five CISSP-focused roles covered so far illustrate how relocating could impact your CISSP salary.
Chief information officer [9]
San Francisco, CA: $177,036
Washington, DC: $161,636
New York, NY: $161,433
Jersey City, NJ: $159,988
Philadelphia, PA: $157,104
IT manager [10]
Richmond, CA: $139,104
New York, NY: $128,391
Boston, MA: $127,309
Jersey City, NJ: $125,161
Seattle, WA: $121,735
Security systems engineer [11]
San Francisco, CA: $133,942
Austin, TX: $103,211
Cambridge, MA: $102,077
Annapolis, MD: $97,373
Dearborn, MI: $96,141
Security analyst [12]
San Francisco, CA: $123,557
Seattle, WA: $104,120
Boston, MA: $101,471
Hoboken, NJ: $100,385
New York, NY: $99,224
Security architect [13]
San Francisco, CA: $150,256
Philadelphia, PA: $146,863
Salem, OR: $135,092
Des Moines, WA: $134,727
Boston, MA: $132,686
Industry
Your CISSP salary can vary by the industry you choose to work in. Salaries by role in some of the highest-paying industries are as follows.
CISSP average salary by industry
All salary information represents the median total pay from Glassdoor as of February 2026. These figures include base salary and additional pay, which may represent profit-sharing, commissions, bonuses, or other compensation.
Chief information officer [4]
Retail and wholesale: $545,000
Information technology: $456,000
Pharmaceutical and biotechnology: $448,000
Manufacturing: $425,000
Arts, entertainment, and recreation: $400,000
IT manager [5]
Pharmaceutical and biotechnology: $177,181
Energy, mining, and utilities: $158,034
Financial services: $153,762
Agriculture: $148,774
Manufacturing: $146,387
Security systems engineer [6]
Retail and wholesale: $203,000
Information technology: $199,000
Media and communication: $189,000
Arts, entertainment, and recreation: $185,000
Human resources and staffing: $172,000
Security analyst [7]
Manufacturing: $119,315
Financial services: $118,536
Pharmaceutical and biotechnology: $116,896
Construction, repair, and maintenance services: $116,874
Telecommunications: $115,108
Security architect [8]
Information technology: $308,000
Media and communication: $297,000
Retail and wholesale: $258,000
Arts and entertainment: $247,000
Pharmaceutical and biotechnology: $246,000
All salary information represents the median total pay from Glassdoor as of February 2026. These figures include base salary and additional pay, which may represent profit-sharing, commissions, bonuses, or other compensation.
Company
Some employers place a premium on CISSP-related roles and pay a higher salary accordingly. Other companies may also have higher budgets, resulting in potentially higher CISSP salaries. Some of the highest-paying companies for the five CISSP-focused roles highlighted offer the following average earnings.
Highest-paying companies for CISSP
Chief information officer [9]
Mayer Brown: $209,721
McKinsey & Company Inc: $195,336
Rush Street: $184,506
Targus: $184,475
Daltile: $182,861
IT manager [10]
Meta: $176,683
eBay: $165,177
The RealReal: $161,422
Cloudflare: $161,092
Anaplan: $160,708
Security systems engineer [11]
Credit Karma: $173,069
Meta: $161,761
Safeway: $156,489
Apple: $152,258
NVIDIA: $143,007
Security analyst [12]
The Walt Disney Company: $147,610
Meta: $145,857
Apple: $145,665
McKinsey & Company Inc: $141,735
PayPal: $141,357
Security architect [13]
The Knot: $176,508
Meta: $172,214
Revlon: $164,781
Baker McKenzie: $164,052
Apple: $163,936
Job outlook
The BLS projects that occupations in the computer and information technology industry will grow much faster than average between 2024 and 2034 [14]. More specifically, roles in the security field, such as information security analysts, have a projected growth rate of 29 percent, much faster than the average, during that time [3]. This translates to high job security for CISSP-certified professionals.
Uncover practical guides for your career journey
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Article sources
Glassdoor. “How Much Does an Information Security Professional CISSP Make?, https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/information-security-professional-cissp-salary-SRCH_KO0,39.htm.” Accessed February 24, 2026.
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