Information Security Analyst Salary

Created by Henry Steele

By Henry Steele - April 15, 2018
Reading Time: 11 minutes
Reading Time: 11 minutes

The following article discusses the career path of Information Security Analyst. Learn about how to become one, education requirements, job duties, traits and qualities, national salary outlook as well as top national employers of Information Security Analysts.

Job Duties

Information security analysts hold responsibility for making sure that their organization maintains an adequate security level in terms of their data. They often perform significant research for which they collect data. They use this to develop strategies that ensure productivity is maximized as much as possible. Furthermore, they develop new security principles and implement these, while remaining compliant with the relevant strict privacy polices. They have advanced knowledge and skills in relation to finding vulnerabilities and security threats. They also complete assessments within their enterprises and they monitor computer traffic and logs.

Furthermore, these specialists work together to ensure that initiatives are fully up to date for various technologies within their companies. In so doing, the minimize the levels of downtime and ensure security contingencies are avoided. If a security breach does happen, they maintain records about this and follow the relevant procedures in line with state, federal, and company rules. Additionally, they know how the infrastructure of the company, such as hardware devices, firewalls, and routers, work. Generally, they have office positions.

Other duties of the information security analyst are:

  • To analyze, prioritize, and document security threats, key metrics, and incidents
  • To review data periodically and daily in order to spot vulnerability and report on these while suggesting solutions
  • To analyze and configure security software and tools
  • To work together with end users and the IT department to ensure that assets are protected and disruption of operations is minimal

Where We Work

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 100,000 information security analysts in 2016. The largest employers of these professionals are:

  • Computer systems design and related services 28%
  • Finance and insurance 19%
  • Management of companies and enterprises 9%
  • Information 8%
  • Administrative and support services 6%

How to Become

Information security analysts are good multi-taskers and problem solvers. They have a keen eye for detail and advanced skills and knowledge on both new and existing technologies, computer applications, and system methods. Furthermore, they wish to deliver excellent customer service to both their clients and coworkers. Naturally, they are well-versed in the use of computers and of proprietary security tools that are available. They are trained in writing reports so that they can provide feedback to managers. To achieve all of this, it is generally expected that they hold a bachelor’s degree as a minimum, usually in network security or in information technology. Additionally, they are expected to hold relevant IT certifications and several years of work experience.

Education Requirements

It is expected that information security analysts hold a bachelor’s degree in programing, information assurance, computer science, or a related field. It is becoming increasingly common for employers to look for those who have a master’s degree, particularly the Master of Business Administration (MBA) with an information systems concentration. This usually takes two years of post-graduate study to complete. During this degree, they learn not just about courses related to computers, but also about business.

Work experience is generally vital. Often, information security analysts need to have experience in computer systems or network administration or in other elements of IT departments. Often, the previous experience must be completely relevant to the security job. For instance, someone who will be focused on cloud security will be expected to have worked in cloud administration in the past.

Numerous certifications also exist in relation to information security. While these are usually not a requirement, they demonstrate dedication to professional excellence, which sets them apart from other candidates for the job. There are general qualifications and certifications, such as the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) that are in high demand, but others are a lot more specific, focusing on things such as systems auditing or penetration testing.

Traits & Qualities

The most effective information security analysts have the following traits to some degree or other:

– Excellent analytical skills
– Highly detail oriented
– Ingenuity and creative thinking
– Strong problem solving skills

Minimum Education

Bachelor’s Degree

National Salary

The national average salary estimate for Information Security Analyst was $83,417. This number is estimated from over 960,436 employees, users past and present job advertisements from Indeed.com. This equates to an hourly salary of $43.45 and monthly of $6,951.

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$29,000

$164,000

Salary Distribution

Salary by State

The following section lists Information Security Analyst salaries in each state around the country. The figures are based on the total number of job postings through Indeed.com. For example, South Carolina had the largest quoted salary of $110,764 while Vermont had the smallest quoted salary of $32,544.

AlabamaIndianaNew York
ArkansasKansasOhio
ArizonaKentuckyOklahoma
CaliforniaMassachusettsOregon
ColoradoMarylandPennsylvania
ConnecticutMichiganRhode Island
DCMinnesotaSouth Carolina
DelawareMissouriTennessee
FloridaMontanaTexas
GeorgiaNorth CarolinaUtah
HawaiiNew HampshireVirginia
IowaNew JerseyVermont
IdahoNew MexicoWashington
IllinoisNevadaWisconsin
Alabama$72,484Rank: 28th
The average salary ranks 28th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like ITAC Solutions and TEKsystems.

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$34,000

$124,000

Salary Distribution
Arkansas$70,295Rank: 33rd
The average salary ranks 33rd among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Department of Information Systems (DIS) and Altek.

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$26,000

$135,000

Salary Distribution
Arizona$91,663Rank: 10th
The average salary ranks 10th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like American Express, Ascendo Resources, State of Arizona, and Ace Software LLC.

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$29,000

$189,000

Salary Distribution
California$99,722Rank: 2nd
The average salary ranks 2nd among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Tech Mahindra, Xelay Acumen, Inc., Tevora Business Solutions, and Phoenix 2.0.

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$39,000

$187,000

Salary Distribution
Colorado$77,982Rank: 19th
The average salary ranks 19th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like CyberCoders, CollegeInvest, Aims Community College, and Jeppesen.

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$36,000

$135,000

Salary Distribution
Connecticut$98,957Rank: 4th
The average salary ranks 4th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Robert Half Technology and The Job Jobber.

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$46,000

$171,000

Salary Distribution
DC$99,311Rank: 3rd
The average salary ranks 3rd among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like JPI Technology, LLC, In-time Infotech Inc, CyberCoders, and Global Solutions Network, Inc..

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$41,000

$181,000

Salary Distribution
Delaware$69,254Rank: 34th
The average salary ranks 34th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Tech Mahindra and Technocraft solutions LLc.

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$13.60

$68.95

Salary Distribution
Florida$76,023Rank: 22nd
The average salary ranks 22nd among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like University of Florida, Veredus, Ascendo Resources, and Miami Dade College.

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$29,000

$144,000

Salary Distribution
Georgia$60,156Rank: 38th
The average salary ranks 38th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like The Royak Group Inc., Principle Solutions Group, Corus360, and Relus Technologies.

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$19,000

$124,000

Salary Distribution
Hawaii$84,882Rank: 14th
The average salary ranks 14th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Crystal Clear Technologies, Inc.

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$37,000

$151,000

Salary Distribution
Iowa$72,020Rank: 30th
The average salary ranks 30th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like The University of Iowa and ICONMA, LLC..

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$28,000

$135,000

Salary Distribution
Idaho$51,628Rank: 40th
The average salary ranks 40th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like IDAHO DEPT. OF LABOR.

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$11.95

$47.60

Salary Distribution
Illinois$90,064Rank: 11th
The average salary ranks 11th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like TechInMotion, Request Technology, Request Technology – Jacqueline White, and Phoenix 2.0.

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$45,000

$146,000

Salary Distribution
Indiana$70,771Rank: 31st
The average salary ranks 31st among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like CyberCoders, Robert Half Technology, Pinnacle Partners, Inc, and Acro Service Corporation.

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$23,000

$144,000

Salary Distribution
Kansas$72,365Rank: 29th
The average salary ranks 29th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like CyberCoders.

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$36,000

$110,000

Salary Distribution
Kentucky$74,556Rank: 25th
The average salary ranks 25th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like topexec company, Vsoft consulting, and University of Kentucky.

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$28,000

$143,000

Salary Distribution
Massachusetts$84,712Rank: 15th
The average salary ranks 15th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Frank Recruitment Group, Dell, Michael Page, and Leading Utilities Provider.

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$35,000

$155,000

Salary Distribution
Maryland$86,241Rank: 13th
The average salary ranks 13th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Robert Half Technology, Infojini Consulting Inc, Montgomery College, and Jones Networking.

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$31,000

$168,000

Salary Distribution
Michigan$81,453Rank: 16th
The average salary ranks 16th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Experis, CyberCoders, Trinity Health, and Tech Mahindra.

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$33,000

$149,000

Salary Distribution
Minnesota$88,010Rank: 12th
The average salary ranks 12th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Request Technology – Sasha Michaels, Request Technology – Jacqueline White, Request Technology, and Infinity Consulting Solutions.

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$35,000

$164,000

Salary Distribution
Missouri$94,915Rank: 7th
The average salary ranks 7th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Libsys Inc, The McManness Group, CandidateXchange, and DSNSearch.

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$47,000

$159,000

Salary Distribution
Montana$53,194Rank: 39th
The average salary ranks 39th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like State of Montana.

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$26,000

$81,000

Salary Distribution
North Carolina$61,459Rank: 37th
The average salary ranks 37th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Wells Fargo, Pyramid Consulting Group, ACT-IT Consulting, and ACT-Consulting.

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$7.25

$81.15

Salary Distribution
New Hampshire$94,645Rank: 8th
The average salary ranks 8th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Liberty Mutual and Valtech Services Inc.

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$34,000

$184,000

Salary Distribution
New Jersey$94,484Rank: 9th
The average salary ranks 9th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like ProEnlist, Tech Mahindra, iconectiv, and DaVinciTek.

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$38,000

$174,000

Salary Distribution
New Mexico$75,571Rank: 23rd
The average salary ranks 23rd among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Sabio Systems, New Mexico State University, and Clover Leaf Solutions.

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$33,000

$134,000

Salary Distribution
Nevada$70,493Rank: 32nd
The average salary ranks 32nd among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Bob Murray & Associates, Phoenix Staff, Inc., and Tech Mahindra.

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$32,000

$124,000

Salary Distribution
New York$96,823Rank: 5th
The average salary ranks 5th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Two Point Consulting, Forrest Staffing Solutions, Network Resources, and Revolution Technologies.

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$36,000

$185,000

Salary Distribution
Ohio$73,369Rank: 27th
The average salary ranks 27th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Experis, Electronic Data Systems, Adecco, and Kent State University.

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$25,000

$145,000

Salary Distribution
Oklahoma$65,889Rank: 35th
The average salary ranks 35th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Robert Half Technology.

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$33,000

$102,000

Salary Distribution
Oregon$73,424Rank: 26th
The average salary ranks 26th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like State of Oregon.

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$21,000

$156,000

Salary Distribution
Pennsylvania$77,098Rank: 21st
The average salary ranks 21st among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Motion Recruitment Partners Prod, Jobspring Partners, Workbridge Associates, and Cajetan Staffing, Inc..

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$26,000

$154,000

Salary Distribution
Rhode Island$51,436Rank: 41st
The average salary ranks 41st among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like BrontoByte Staffing.

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$7.25

$67.45

Salary Distribution
South Carolina$110,764Rank: 1st
The average salary ranks 1st among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Revolution Technologies, Globalpundits Inc, Software Specialists, and Chipton Ross.

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$15.20

$200

Salary Distribution
Tennessee$64,377Rank: 36th
The average salary ranks 36th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Robert Half Technology, MetaSense Inc, Select Source International, and Vaco – Nashville.

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$9.15

$73.05

Salary Distribution
Texas$78,648Rank: 18th
The average salary ranks 18th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Tech Quarry, Vaco, Horn Solutions, and MCG Health System.

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$29,000

$151,000

Salary Distribution
Utah$77,837Rank: 20th
The average salary ranks 20th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like CyberCoders and Dash Partners.

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$34,000

$138,000

Salary Distribution
Virginia$78,907Rank: 17th
The average salary ranks 17th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Request Technology, Piper Companies, Freddie Mac, and Zp group.

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$27,000

$156,000

Salary Distribution
Vermont$32,544Rank: 42nd
The average salary ranks 42nd among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like State of Vermont and Masiello Employment Services.

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$7.25

$33.75

Salary Distribution
Washington$95,336Rank: 6th
The average salary ranks 6th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Career Brokers, Inc., Tech Mahindra, T-Mobile, and Robert Half Technology.

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$45,000

$164,000

Salary Distribution
Wisconsin$74,920Rank: 24th
The average salary ranks 24th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like TEKsystems, CyberCoders, and Robert Half Technology.

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$24,000

$152,000

Salary Distribution

Top 20 National Employers

According to Indeed.com, the following states had employers looking to hire a Information Security Analyst. The quoted salary figure represents the average salary from all job postings by this employer.

Employer NameLocationAverage Salary

Learn More

Related Careers

Career NameAverage Salary

Henry Steele
Managing Editor
Henry is Managing Editor of BusinessStudent.com. He is a seasoned business professional who regularly consults with local business's throughout Southern California. Henry pursued his undergrad in Business and Economics at the University of San Diego and gained valuable life changing experience through a unique internship upon graduation.

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