CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) Salary in 2025

CISSP Certification

$135K
Average Salary
145,000+
Open Positions
+22% year-over-year
Job Growth
Very High
Market Demand

Salary Ranges by Experience Level

Entry Level

$110K - $130K

0-2 years experience

Mid-Level

$130K - $150K

2-5 years experience

Senior Level

$150K - $180K

5+ years experience

💰 Median Salary: $133K/year

3.5M unfilled cybersecurity positions globally

Salary by Location - Top 5 Cities

1
Washington, DC
$165,000 - $195,000
2
San Francisco, CA
$170,000 - $200,000
3
New York, NY
$155,000 - $185,000
4
Boston, MA
$145,000 - $175,000
5
Chicago, IL
$135,000 - $165,000

Key Factors Affecting Salary

Security Clearance

+25-40%

Top Secret clearance adds $30K-$50K to base salary

Industry Sector

+20-35%

Government/defense pays premium, especially with clearance

Management Responsibility

+30-50%

CISO/Security Director roles pay significantly more

Additional Certifications

+10-20%

CISM, CEH, or cloud security certs boost salary

Skills That Increase Your Salary

Cloud Security (AWS/Azure)

+$15,000 - $25,000

Cloud security architecture and implementation

Incident Response

+$12,000 - $20,000

SOC management and threat hunting expertise

Compliance & GRC

+$10,000 - $18,000

SOC 2, ISO 27001, NIST frameworks knowledge

Penetration Testing

+$12,000 - $22,000

Offensive security and ethical hacking skills

Career Progression & Salary Growth

Entry Level

Security Analyst / Security Engineer

5+ years IT (CISSP requires experience)

$110,000 - $130,000
Mid Level

Senior Security Engineer

7-10 years

$130,000 - $150,000
Senior Level

Security Architect / Manager

10-15 years

$150,000 - $175,000
Executive Level

CISO / Director of Security

15+ years

$175,000 - $250,000+

Salary Comparison with Similar Roles

RoleAverage SalaryDifference
Security Engineer (no CISSP)$115,000-15%
Security Analyst (no CISSP)$95,000-30%
CEH Certified$120,000-11%
CISM Certified$140,000+4%

Top Paying Industries

Government / Defense

Demand: Very High

$155,000

Financial Services

Demand: Very High

$160,000

Healthcare

Demand: Very High

$145,000

Technology

Demand: High

$150,000

Consulting

Demand: High

$148,000

Salary by Company Size

Startup (1-50 employees)$120,000
Small (51-200 employees)$130,000
Medium (201-1000 employees)$140,000
Large (1001-5000 employees)$150,000
Enterprise (5000+ employees)$160,000

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