Information Security Analysts
Information Security Analysts (SOC 15-1212) earn a median $129,180 a year ($62.11 an hour) in the United States, with 190,650 employed as of May 2025; the highest-paying state is Washington.
What information security analysts do
Information security analysts plan, put in place, and monitor measures that protect computer networks and information from unauthorized access and attack. Analysts assess systems for vulnerabilities, propose and carry out ways to reduce the risk, and run tests and risk assessments of data processing systems. They develop plans to safeguard files against accidental or unauthorized changes, encrypt data transmissions, set up firewalls, and keep watch on reports of new viruses and threats so that protection can be updated. They review violations of security procedures with the violators so they are not repeated, and they document security and emergency policies, procedures, and tests. Titles include security analyst, application security analyst, and cybersecurity specialist. The occupation differs from network and computer systems administrators, who run the systems day to day, from computer network architects, who design networks, and from the managers who lead security teams. They also modify security files to add new software, correct errors, or change a person's access status, and they confer with users about data access needs.
Typical entry: O*NET respondents most often report a bachelor's degree as the typical level of education for this occupation.
Also called: AI Security Specialist (Artificial Intelligence Security Specialist), All-Source Analyst, Application Security Analyst, Applications Security Analyst, Automatic Data Processing Systems Security Specialist (ADP Systems Security).
National wage percentiles, May 2025
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| United States | Hourly | $36.10 | $47.03 | $62.11 | $78.61 | $96.08 | $63.71 | 190,650 |
| Annual | $75,090 | $97,810 | $129,180 | $163,500 | $199,850 | $132,510 | ||
Employment per 1,000 jobs and the location quotient are area measures; they appear in the state and metro tables below. To see what a wage in this range leaves after tax, use FastCalc's take-home pay calculator.
Where information security analysts earn and work most
Five highest-paying states
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Washington | Hourly | $46.51 | $59.42 | $74.49 | $86.00 | $101.79 | $75.04 | 6,030 | 1.70 | 1.38 |
| Annual | $96,730 | $123,590 | $154,940 | $178,890 | $211,720 | $156,080 | ||||
| Maryland | Hourly | $38.04 | $51.34 | $67.14 | $88.10 | $104.12 | $72.09 | 8,650 | 3.13 | 2.55 |
| Annual | $79,130 | $106,790 | $139,640 | $183,260 | $216,570 | $149,940 | ||||
| California | Hourly | $31.76 | $48.96 | $66.62 | $85.52 | $106.25 | $71.68 | 15,570 | 0.86 | 0.70 |
| Annual | $66,070 | $101,840 | $138,570 | $177,890 | $221,000 | $149,090 | ||||
| Delaware | Hourly | $39.66 | $51.10 | $65.88 | $79.95 | $88.94 | $65.90 | 720 | 1.48 | 1.21 |
| Annual | $82,500 | $106,290 | $137,030 | $166,300 | $184,990 | $137,080 | ||||
| Massachusetts | Hourly | $41.25 | $51.70 | $65.65 | $84.83 | $108.75 | $72.59 | 6,100 | 1.68 | 1.37 |
| Annual | $85,790 | $107,540 | $136,550 | $176,450 | $226,190 | $151,000 | ||||
Five states with the most jobs
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Virginia | Hourly | $39.14 | $49.99 | $64.86 | $81.72 | $98.92 | $67.96 | 19,120 | 4.65 | 3.80 |
| Annual | $81,410 | $103,980 | $134,900 | $169,970 | $205,750 | $141,360 | ||||
| Texas | Hourly | $37.50 | $48.74 | $62.45 | $76.93 | $85.84 | $62.84 | 16,130 | 1.15 | 0.94 |
| Annual | $77,990 | $101,380 | $129,890 | $160,020 | $178,550 | $130,710 | ||||
| California | Hourly | $31.76 | $48.96 | $66.62 | $85.52 | $106.25 | $71.68 | 15,570 | 0.86 | 0.70 |
| Annual | $66,070 | $101,840 | $138,570 | $177,890 | $221,000 | $149,090 | ||||
| Florida | Hourly | $36.25 | $43.76 | $60.03 | $73.82 | $83.94 | $59.86 | 14,220 | 1.43 | 1.17 |
| Annual | $75,410 | $91,020 | $124,860 | $153,540 | $174,600 | $124,510 | ||||
| New York | Hourly | $39.96 | $49.49 | $64.74 | $83.62 | $103.95 | $69.58 | 10,060 | 1.04 | 0.85 |
| Annual | $83,110 | $102,930 | $134,660 | $173,920 | $216,220 | $144,720 | ||||
Five highest-paying metropolitan areas
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | Hourly | $43.41 | $60.60 | $84.67 | $104.05 | $133.82 | $94.57 | 2,280 | 2.01 | 1.64 |
| Annual | $90,290 | $126,060 | $176,120 | $216,420 | $278,340 | $196,700 | ||||
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | Hourly | $29.74 | $55.29 | $78.03 | $96.97 | $118.30 | $76.48 | 3,730 | 1.57 | 1.28 |
| Annual | $61,860 | $115,000 | $162,310 | $201,690 | $246,070 | $159,070 | ||||
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | Hourly | $49.03 | $62.39 | $77.78 | $89.68 | $102.76 | $78.17 | 4,700 | 2.25 | 1.84 |
| Annual | $101,980 | $129,760 | $161,780 | $186,530 | $213,750 | $162,580 | ||||
| Boulder, CO | Hourly | $48.42 | $60.69 | $74.52 | $85.45 | $103.03 | $74.59 | 520 | 2.73 | 2.22 |
| Annual | $100,710 | $126,230 | $154,990 | $177,730 | $214,290 | $155,140 | ||||
| Asheville, NC | Hourly | $36.95 | $51.44 | $71.80 | $71.80 | $74.53 | $64.88 | 200 | 1.10 | 0.90 |
| Annual | $76,860 | $106,990 | $149,350 | $149,350 | $155,030 | $134,950 | ||||
Five metropolitan areas with the most jobs
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | Hourly | $46.42 | $58.94 | $71.61 | $83.58 | $100.62 | $72.23 | 16,560 | 5.28 | 4.31 |
| Annual | $96,550 | $122,590 | $148,950 | $173,850 | $209,290 | $150,230 | ||||
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | Hourly | $41.76 | $51.83 | $67.53 | $84.48 | $103.98 | $71.77 | 11,330 | 1.19 | 0.97 |
| Annual | $86,860 | $107,810 | $140,470 | $175,710 | $216,280 | $149,280 | ||||
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | Hourly | $39.49 | $49.73 | $64.24 | $78.01 | $85.58 | $64.32 | 7,080 | 1.75 | 1.43 |
| Annual | $82,140 | $103,440 | $133,610 | $162,270 | $178,000 | $133,790 | ||||
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | Hourly | $41.81 | $52.18 | $65.65 | $84.83 | $108.32 | $73.26 | 5,220 | 1.93 | 1.57 |
| Annual | $86,970 | $108,530 | $136,550 | $176,450 | $225,300 | $152,370 | ||||
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | Hourly | $26.07 | $45.59 | $62.32 | $80.18 | $94.14 | $62.93 | 4,820 | 0.77 | 0.63 |
| Annual | $54,230 | $94,830 | $129,630 | $166,780 | $195,820 | $130,890 | ||||
Top industries employing information security analysts
Computer Systems Design and Related Services employ 22.8% of information security analysts nationally (43,440 jobs) at a median $132,410 a year ($63.66 an hour), followed by Management of Companies and Enterprises (10.2%) and Credit Intermediation and Related Activities (5221 and 5223 only) (7.8%).
| Industry | Employment | Share of occupation | Median annual | Median hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Systems Design and Related Services NAICS 541500 | 43,440 | 22.8% | $132,410 | $63.66 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises NAICS 551100 | 19,390 | 10.2% | $128,950 | $62.00 |
| Credit Intermediation and Related Activities (5221 and 5223 only) NAICS 5220A1 | 14,810 | 7.8% | $130,840 | $62.90 |
| Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services NAICS 541600 | 12,480 | 6.5% | $125,420 | $60.30 |
| Scientific Research and Development Services NAICS 541700 | 7,610 | 4.0% | $137,950 | $66.32 |
Share is the industry's employment over the occupation's national employment (190,650). Industries whose employment BLS withheld are not ranked.
Published medians, May 2021 to May 2025
BLS published a median annual wage of $102,600 for information security analysts in May 2021 and $129,180 in May 2025, with employment of 157,220 and 190,650.
| Release | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2021 | $102,600 | $49.33 | 157,220 |
| May 2022 | $112,000 | $53.85 | 163,690 |
| May 2023 | $120,360 | $57.87 | 175,350 |
| May 2024 | $124,910 | $60.05 | 179,430 |
| May 2025 | $129,180 | $62.11 | 190,650 |
BLS does not design OEWS as a time series: each release pools three years of samples, and occupational classifications, area definitions and estimation methods change between releases, so a difference between two releases is not a measure of change over time. The figures are shown as published, side by side, and nothing is computed from them. See how often OEWS is updated.
Every state, by median wage
50 states and DC publish a row for this occupation. A linked state has its own page with the within-state metro table and comparison; the others appear here only.
| Rank | State | Median hourly | Median annual | 10th pct (annual) | 90th pct (annual) | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington profile | $74.49 | $154,940 | $96,730 | $211,720 | 6,030 | 1.70 | 1.38 |
| 2 | Maryland profile | $67.14 | $139,640 | $79,130 | $216,570 | 8,650 | 3.13 | 2.55 |
| 3 | California profile | $66.62 | $138,570 | $66,070 | $221,000 | 15,570 | 0.86 | 0.70 |
| 4 | Delaware profile | $65.88 | $137,030 | $82,500 | $184,990 | 720 | 1.48 | 1.21 |
| 5 | Massachusetts profile | $65.65 | $136,550 | $85,790 | $226,190 | 6,100 | 1.68 | 1.37 |
| 6 | Colorado profile | $65.01 | $135,220 | $87,560 | $208,650 | 5,700 | 1.98 | 1.62 |
| 7 | District of Columbia profile | $64.95 | $135,090 | $86,280 | $189,510 | 1,510 | 2.16 | 1.76 |
| 8 | Virginia profile | $64.86 | $134,900 | $81,410 | $205,750 | 19,120 | 4.65 | 3.80 |
| 9 | New Jersey profile | $64.82 | $134,820 | $86,860 | $204,220 | 4,860 | 1.13 | 0.92 |
| 10 | New York profile | $64.74 | $134,660 | $83,110 | $216,220 | 10,060 | 1.04 | 0.85 |
| 11 | North Carolina profile | $63.24 | $131,540 | $77,150 | $173,670 | 8,670 | 1.76 | 1.43 |
| 12 | Minnesota profile | $62.84 | $130,710 | $83,140 | $169,750 | 2,680 | 0.91 | 0.74 |
| 13 | Connecticut profile | $62.77 | $130,570 | $79,780 | $175,590 | 1,170 | 0.69 | 0.56 |
| 14 | New Mexico profile | $62.54 | $130,070 | $99,100 | $199,990 | 2,470 | 2.84 | 2.32 |
| 15 | Texas profile | $62.45 | $129,890 | $77,990 | $178,550 | 16,130 | 1.15 | 0.94 |
| 16 | Georgia profile | $62.00 | $128,970 | $77,060 | $178,650 | 6,290 | 1.29 | 1.05 |
| 17 | Hawaii profile | $60.70 | $126,250 | $76,390 | $172,780 | 580 | 0.92 | 0.75 |
| 18 | Arizona profile | $60.22 | $125,260 | $78,330 | $176,390 | 3,420 | 1.06 | 0.86 |
| 19 | Florida profile | $60.03 | $124,860 | $75,410 | $174,600 | 14,220 | 1.43 | 1.17 |
| 20 | Illinois profile | $59.70 | $124,180 | $78,760 | $172,830 | 5,260 | 0.86 | 0.70 |
| 21 | New Hampshire profile | $59.62 | $124,000 | $61,940 | $187,820 | 590 | 0.86 | 0.70 |
| 22 | Alabama profile | $59.00 | $122,730 | $66,090 | $170,690 | 4,010 | 1.90 | 1.55 |
| 23 | Iowa profile | $57.55 | $119,710 | $71,550 | $169,620 | 1,160 | 0.74 | 0.61 |
| 24 | Pennsylvania profile | $56.62 | $117,770 | $67,840 | $170,870 | 4,660 | 0.77 | 0.63 |
| 25 | South Dakota profile | $56.08 | $116,640 | $71,610 | $161,700 | 770 | 1.68 | 1.37 |
| 26 | Tennessee profile | $55.50 | $115,430 | $63,870 | $250,590 | 3,330 | 1.02 | 0.83 |
| 27 | Alaska profile | $55.28 | $114,990 | $75,770 | $149,270 | 300 | 0.92 | 0.75 |
| 28 | Ohio profile | $53.11 | $110,480 | $68,070 | $171,450 | 6,010 | 1.08 | 0.88 |
| 29 | Vermont profile | $52.77 | $109,750 | $74,840 | $179,130 | 220 | 0.72 | 0.59 |
| 30 | Rhode Island profile | $52.61 | $109,420 | $74,880 | $170,180 | 710 | 1.41 | 1.15 |
| 31 | North Dakota profile | $51.70 | $107,540 | $69,480 | $139,360 | 310 | 0.73 | 0.59 |
| 32 | Michigan profile | $51.07 | $106,230 | $64,150 | $165,730 | 3,280 | 0.74 | 0.61 |
| 33 | Nevada profile | $51.06 | $106,200 | $57,160 | $178,990 | 1,330 | 0.86 | 0.70 |
| 34 | South Carolina profile | $50.87 | $105,800 | $66,410 | $166,530 | 1,720 | 0.75 | 0.61 |
| 35 | Kentucky profile | $49.82 | $103,630 | $64,650 | $157,810 | 1,680 | 0.84 | 0.69 |
| 36 | Arkansas profile | $49.76 | $103,490 | $59,410 | $140,900 | 1,460 | 1.12 | 0.91 |
| 37 | Missouri profile | $49.73 | $103,440 | $60,700 | $161,430 | 3,260 | 1.11 | 0.91 |
| 38 | Maine profile | $48.91 | $101,730 | $63,210 | $181,020 | 400 | 0.62 | 0.51 |
| 39 | Wisconsin profile | $48.82 | $101,550 | $62,110 | $162,260 | 2,130 | 0.72 | 0.59 |
| 40 | Indiana profile | $48.76 | $101,420 | $60,450 | $163,370 | 2,260 | 0.71 | 0.58 |
| 41 | Kansas profile | $48.38 | $100,620 | $63,730 | $155,490 | 1,830 | 1.28 | 1.04 |
| 42 | Utah profile | $47.93 | $99,690 | $48,630 | $168,830 | 1,910 | 1.10 | 0.90 |
| 43 | Wyoming profile | $47.46 | $98,710 | $75,580 | $198,230 | 140 | 0.48 | 0.39 |
| 44 | Oklahoma profile | $45.19 | $94,000 | $56,050 | $158,320 | 1,640 | 0.96 | 0.78 |
| 45 | Louisiana profile | $44.71 | $92,990 | $66,660 | $139,190 | 720 | 0.37 | 0.30 |
| 46 | Nebraska profile | $44.50 | $92,550 | $66,630 | $147,150 | 1,210 | 1.19 | 0.97 |
| 47 | Mississippi profile | $42.16 | $87,690 | $51,170 | $138,900 | 480 | 0.41 | 0.33 |
| 48 | Montana profile | $39.40 | $81,950 | $57,000 | $158,220 | 380 | 0.74 | 0.60 |
| – | Idaho profile | * | * | * | * | 840 | 0.98 | 0.80 |
| – | Oregon profile | * | * | * | * | 2,250 | 1.15 | 0.93 |
Related occupations
Occupations in the same SOC broad group (15-1210), with their national median annual wage.
Part of Computer and Mathematical Occupations. Compare any area in the wage explorer.
Source and notes
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS 15-1212 Information Security Analysts.
*- Wage estimate not available.
- Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
- Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.
- Top industries: nat4d_M2025_dl.xlsx in oesm25in4.zip (BLS OEWS May 2025, national, 4-digit NAICS, cross-ownership). Employment is the industry's rounded total for this occupation; industries whose employment BLS withheld (**) are not ranked.
- Published medians: national_M2021_dl.xlsx to national_M2024_dl.xlsx in oesm21nat.zip to oesm24nat.zip (BLS OEWS May 2021 to May 2024, national, cross-industry, all ownerships) and the May 2025 spine. Each release is shown as published; nothing is computed between them.
Sources
- BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018, definition of 15-1212, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- O*NET 30.1 Database, 15-1212.00, National Center for O*NET Development, USDOL/ETA (CC BY 4.0).
- OEWS May 2025 national industry-specific estimates, 4-digit NAICS (oesm25in4.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2021 national estimates (oesm21nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2022 national estimates (oesm22nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2023 national estimates (oesm23nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2024 national estimates (oesm24nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2025 national estimates (oesm25nat.zip), the site's data spine, US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
Includes information from O*NET 30.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, used under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Description written 2026-10-17 in our own words from the sources above.