CompTIA Security+ Salary in 2026 — What You Can Earn & Which Jobs Require It
Real salary ranges from entry-level SOC analyst to senior security engineer. Plus the DoD premium, top hiring states, and the cert stack that gets you past $100K.
Salary by Role — 2026 US Data
Salaries vary significantly by role, location, and experience. The table below shows realistic ranges for Security+-relevant positions in the United States.
| Role | Entry | Mid | Senior |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Help Desk / IT Support (Security Focus) Entry point. Security+ can differentiate you and open the security-focus track.
|
$42,000 | $58,000 | $72,000 |
|
SOC Analyst Tier 1 Most common first job for Security+ holders. High demand, DoD and commercial.
|
$52,000 | $65,000 | $80,000 |
|
SOC Analyst Tier 2 After 2–3 years. Threat hunting, incident response ownership.
|
$72,000 | $88,000 | $105,000 |
|
Security / Systems Administrator Securing servers, IAM, policy enforcement. Very common with Security+ + Network+.
|
$65,000 | $82,000 | $100,000 |
|
Information Assurance Technician (DoD) Government/DoD roles. Security+ is mandatory (DoD 8570 IAT Level II).
|
$70,000 | $90,000 | $115,000 |
|
Cybersecurity Analyst Risk assessment, vulnerability management, compliance monitoring.
|
$75,000 | $95,000 | $120,000 |
|
Penetration Tester (Junior) Entry-level with Security+ + CEH or OSCP. Practical skills essential.
|
$72,000 | $92,000 | $115,000 |
|
Security Engineer Mid-senior. Security+ is the floor — usually paired with CISSP or cloud certs.
|
$95,000 | $120,000 | $155,000 |
The DoD Premium — Why Government Jobs Pay More
CompTIA Security+ is one of the certifications approved under DoD Directive 8570 / DoD 8140 at IAT Level II. This means it is literally required by law for anyone with privileged access to DoD information systems — contractors and government employees alike.
- Defence contractors (Booz Allen, Leidos, SAIC, CACI, Raytheon) pay a billing rate premium for certified staff — that premium flows to salary
- Entry-level DoD SOC analysts frequently earn $70K–$85K vs $55K–$65K in equivalent commercial roles
- Many DoD positions explicitly state "Security+ required" — non-certified candidates are excluded regardless of experience
- Active clearance (Secret or TS/SCI) combined with Security+ pushes starting salaries to $85K–$110K for Tier 1 roles
Top Hiring States for Security+ Jobs
The Cert Stack That Gets You Past $100K
Security+ alone rarely gets you above $80K. It is a qualifier — it opens doors, but your income ceiling is set by what you pair it with.
Is the $392 Cost Worth It? A Simple ROI Calculation
The Security+ exam costs $425 (as of 2026, plus any study materials). Here is the financial case for sitting it:
How to Read the Salary Numbers
One thing worth stating plainly about the figures on this page: salary data in this field comes from self-reported surveys and job-posting aggregations rather than from any authoritative register. Different sources disagree with each other, sometimes by a wide margin, and the numbers move with the sample rather than with the market.
That does not make them useless. It means they are useful for the shape of the market rather than for a precise figure. What the data reliably shows is that Security+ correlates with a step up in the roles you are considered for, and that the size of the step depends far more on your experience and your location than on the certification itself.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Security+ increase salary?
Can I get a cybersecurity job with just Security+?
Is Security+ still worth it in 2026?
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