CISSP Salary: Your 2026 Guide

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 $167,000 [1].

• Your CISSP salary may vary depending on the CISSP-related role you hold, such as chief information officer, IT manager, security systems engineer, security analyst, or security architect.

• You can increase your CISSP certification salary by gaining more years of experience, moving to high paying cities, and switching 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

• Security analyst

• Senior IT security consultant

• 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 $129,180, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics [3]. 

According to Glassdoor, the median total salary in the US among all CISSP holders is $167,000 [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:

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]. 

All salary information is the median total pay from Glassdoor as of September 2026. These figures include both base salary and additional pay, which may represent profit-sharing, commissions, bonuses, or other forms of 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 is the median total pay from Glassdoor as of September 2026. These figures include both base salary and additional pay, which may represent profit-sharing, commissions, bonuses, or other forms of compensation.

Chief information officer [4]

• Retail and wholesale: $551,000

• Information technology: $473,000

• Pharmaceutical and biotechnology: $441,000

• Manufacturing: $414,000

• Arts, entertainment, and recreation: $415,000

IT manager [5]

• Pharmaceutical and biotechnology: $178,761

• Energy, mining, and utilities: $159,395

• Financial services: $153,978

• Agriculture: $148,537

• Management and consulting: $146,529 

Security systems engineer [6]

• Retail and wholesale: $200,000

• Information technology: $199,000

• Media and communication: $187,000

• Arts, entertainment, and recreation: $179,000

• Human resources and staffing: $170,000

Security analyst [7]

• Manufacturing: $120,771

• Financial services: $119,309

• Construction, repair, and maintenance services: $118,834

• Aerospace and defense: $117,219

• Pharmaceutical and biotechnology: $116,461

Security architect [8]

• Information technology: $308,000

• Manufacturing: $211,572

• Telecommunications: $186,897

All salary information is the median total pay from Glassdoor as of September 2026. These figures include both base salary and additional pay, which may represent profit-sharing, commissions, bonuses, or other forms of 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 2025 and 2035 [14]. More specifically, roles in the security field, such as information security analysts, have a projected growth rate of 21 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

Explore career paths, assess your skills, and connect with resume guidance while browsing our Career Resource Hub. Or if you want to learn more about cybersecurity and earning security credentials, check out these free resources:

• Explore certification options: 8 Cybersecurity Certifications For Career Growth

• Hear from a peer: Meet the IT Support Tech Advancing Toward a Cybersecurity Career

• Watch on YouTube: Compare Your Options to Find the Right Cybersecurity Credential for You on Coursera

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