We have dedicated a whole week to information security. This includes tips on how to get experience, how to crush your first security interview, and how to certify as an ethical hacker. And what to do if you are audited during certification.
Have you ever looked at a salary estimation and thought it was ridiculously high? We are sure you have.
A few weeks back, we posted a #NuggetFact for the weekend. It stated that the average salary for a Network+ certified professional was $74,000. There were many opinions on that salary. We also recently published the 10 highest-paid IT certifications. This sparked some discussion. We heard you.
Yes. Yes, those salaries are very high. But we didn’t create them. These are actual national stats. However, averages don’t always reflect the truth. The entire calculation can be distorted by outliers.
Learn how to become a security expert with SPOTO’s Cybersecurity Training
Start training It’s unlikely that you make $120,000 per annum as an information security analyst for Cleveland, Ohio. As a junior analyst, you can expect to make between $50,000 and $60,000 per year. Is that better?
What is the salary of an Information Security Analyst?
We realized that what is true in one area of the country may not be true in another. So we did what we could.
We searched Dice, LinkedIn and Monster as well as Glassdoor, Glassdoor, Payscale and local job boards for information about security salaries in larger metropolitan areas. We set a population limit of 1 million.
Although it’s not perfect, here’s a candid look at IT security salaries in the United States.
Salaries for Information Security Analysts
CityStateAverageLowestHighestPortlandOregon$77,500.00$57,000.00$98,000.00Fort CollinsColorado$74,500.00$57,000.00$92,000.00Oklahoma CityOklahoma$73,900.00$51,000.00$90,000.00RichmondVirginia$73,300.00$49,000.00$110,000.00ClevelandOhio$73,200.00$52,000.00$103,000.00Las VegasNevada$72,500.00$60,000.00$85,000.00CharlotteN.C.$72,100.00$51,000.00$102,000.00MilwaukeeWisconsin$69,900.00$49,000.00$100,000.00DetroitMichigan$68,500.00$43,000.00$94,000.00Des MoinesIowa$66,700.00$46,000.00$96,000.00Forth WorthTexas$66,100.00$46,000.00$94,000.00NashvilleTennessee$62,000.00$44,000.00$88,000.00Kansas CityMissouri$61,800.00$37,000.00$91,000.00
Methodology: We found 172 job postings from 30 U.S. towns with a population less than 1,000,000 on popular job posting websites between November 2016 to January 2017.
Based on these salaries, what is the average salary for an information security analyst? $70,153.85
The average high? $95,615
The average low is? $49,385
How does that sound? Let us know.
How can you become an Information System Analyst
Even if you only glance at the national job listings for information security analysts (or other security-related posts), you’ll notice a few commonalities.
Experience is required. Analyst hiring managers expect at least two years of security experience. They also prefer someone with strong IT fundamentals background. You can probably start acquiring the experience in your current job if you don’t already have it. In our recent webinar, Keith Barker, SPOTO security expert, explains how to gain security experience.
Highly desirable certifications are available. There are a few certifications that you will find depending on your industry. You’ll see CISA or CISSP in the financial industry. CompTIA Security+ certification is required if you are applying for a job with federal government.
You will need to be certified in ITIL if you want to move up to higher-level positions such as engineer or senior information security analyst. You’ll likely be assigned to “project management” at the very minimum.
