Boost Your Security Plus Certification Salary: Hot Trends and Insider Tips

Landing a cybersecurity role is exciting, but it’s frustrating when your paycheck doesn’t match the effort it took to get there. Earning your Security+ might raise expectations for a better salary, yet you could still be stuck with offers that don’t reflect your value.

Knowing how the Security Plus certification salary is shaped by experience, location, industry, and complementary skills gives you more control when aiming for higher pay. This guide shares real salary data, shows how earnings progress at different career stages, and outlines proven strategies that help Security+ holders step into higher-paying roles.

Average Security+ Certification Salary Overview

If you’re aiming for a stronger paycheck, it helps to know where you stand. The Security Plus certification salary delivers a solid boost in your earnings in roles where baseline security skills are essential.

National Salary Ranges for Security+ Certified Professionals

Security+ certification can open the door to some of today’s most in-demand jobs. Here’s what the pay looks like:

• Cybersecurity Analyst. Typically earns in the mid-five to low-six figures
• Information Security Analyst. Averages about $95,249, with most falling between $63,288 and $143,555 depending on role, sector, and location
• Security+ Certified Professional. Brings in roughly $55,353 per year, with most salaries between $44,000 (25th percentile) and $63,500 (75th percentile)

Here’s a tip: industries with heavier security demands often offer more. With job growth for information security analysts projected at 33% from 2023 to 2033, salaries in these roles are likely to stay competitive.

Factors Influencing Security+ Salaries

Roles in information, finance, and insurance tend to pay more thanks to enterprise security needs and regulatory pressures. Location plays its part too. Higher cost-of-living areas generally offer higher pay to match.

You might notice demand clusters in certain places. Cybersecurity job postings often concentrate in federal and tech hubs, which can give you more leverage when negotiating. Aligning your career moves with CompTIA CSIS salary trends in these high-demand regions can help you land stronger offers.

Security+ Salaries by Experience Level

Pay grows as your skills, scope, and responsibilities expand. Let’s see how the numbers change from your first job to senior leadership roles.

Entry-Level Security+ Salaries

Starting out, most Security+ holders land in analyst positions. Common titles include:

• SOC Analyst. Focuses on monitoring, triage, and alert escalation
• Junior Cybersecurity Analyst. Handles ticketing and documentation while learning incident workflows
• Information Security Analyst. Supports baseline security operations and compliance checks

Security+ is also a Department of Defense–approved baseline for several 8570/8140 categories, which opens doors to defense and contracting work. Job postings remain strong, especially near defense, federal, cloud, and finance hubs.

Mid-Career Security+ Professional Earnings

Several years of hands-on work, like incident response, SIEM management, cloud security, or IAM, pushes salaries higher. Adding AWS or Azure security, scripting, or compliance in regulated industries boosts value and aligns with higher-paying sectors.

Senior-Level Security+ Salary Expectations

At the senior level, Security+ professionals often:

• Lead investigations and coach security teams
• Direct governance, hardening, and incident response strategies
• Contribute to architecture decisions and niche tech stacks.

Senior information security analysts average $116,764, with top earners working in complex industries and enterprise environments. Here, CompTIA Security Plus certification salary serves as a strong foundation, but pay reflects leadership scope and measurable risk reduction outcomes.

Geographic Impact on Security+ Certification Salaries

Natural Progression Path

Where you work can have as much influence on pay as your skills and experience. Here’s how location affects earning potential. If you’re chasing top figures, certain states stand out:

• Washington. Around $110,000
• California. About $100,000
• New York. Roughly $100,000
• Virginia. Around $115,000

These areas have many tech and government jobs and large employers. They’re also home to many public-sector contracting roles. Using these benchmarks can help you evaluate relocation, hybrid policies, or remote roles tied to high-pay markets. Knowing where Security Plus certification salary peaks can give you an edge in negotiations.

Cost of Living Considerations

High pay doesn’t always mean higher take-home value. States like California and New Jersey have above-average price levels, which can cut into earnings. It’s important to factor in housing, taxes, and commuting costs when reviewing a job offer.

Looking into data can help pinpoint metros with strong demand and more favorable living costs. Sometimes, trading a slightly lower Security Plus pay for better purchasing power makes more sense long-term.

Security+ Certification vs. Other IT Certifications: Salary Comparison

Knowing how Security+ measures against other certifications can help you plan your next move. On the pay scale, Security+ sits above A+ and close to Network+. Current averages show:

• Security+. About $55,353 per year
• Network+. Around $73,938 per year
• CompTIA A+. Near at $21.06 per hour

The average salary for Security Plus certification reflects the added responsibility of analyst roles that handle incident response, SIEM, vulnerability management, and compliance. Adding CySA+ or platform-specific skills often speeds up the jump to positions with more autonomy and on-call pay.

Security+ vs. Industry-Specific Cybersecurity Certifications

Security+ builds a strong base, but some specialized certifications can push earnings higher:

• Certified Information Security Manager (CISM). Average base salary is at around $94,926 per year, with the 75th percentile at $127,500 and top earners reaching $152,500.
• Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP). U.S. averages at $112,302 per year.
• Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP). Salaries average at $46,333 per year, or about $22.28 per hour.

At Destination Certification, we make these goals achievable by breaking down large exam domains into focused, manageable study segments. Our expert-led CCSP BootCamps and CISSP MasterClasses show you exactly what to prioritize, provide hands-on practice with realistic exam scenarios, and teach proven test-taking strategies that reduce wasted study time.

Maximizing Your Earning Potential with Security+ Certification

If you want to raise your Security Plus certification salary, you’ll need the right mix of skills and strategies. Pairing Security+ with high-demand abilities can speed up career growth:

• Networking. Build stronger infrastructure knowledge.
• Software Development Fundamentals. Understand secure coding principles.
• Systems Engineering. Support complex architectures.
• Risk Analysis. Identify and mitigate threats effectively.
• Security Intelligence. Leverage data for proactive defense.
• IT Support. Maintain operational resilience.
• Core Cybersecurity Operations. Strengthen day-to-day defense.

Adding scripting, automation, or cloud provider controls can get you into higher-value projects faster. Keep proof of wins from labs or real-world projects, and use them in interviews and reviews to push for better offers. To move up, focus on having deeper detection and response skills, taking ownership of risk reduction, and aligning efforts with business results. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Turn Your Security+ Into a Bigger Paycheck

Raising your Security Plus certification salary starts with knowing where the best opportunities are and building the skills employers value most. Whether you’re targeting a promotion, moving into a new specialty, or aiming for senior-level pay, the right preparation can help you get there faster.

Destination Certification’s Live Online BootCamp gives you focused prep, expert guidance, and proven exam strategies. Pair it with our Security+ Study Guide to plan what to study next and close gaps quickly.

Secure your next raise, enroll with Destination Certification, and prepare to outperform the competition.