Side-by-side distribution
CISO
$287,775
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 35%
- Live roles
- 100
Cybersecurity
$134,925
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 33.5%
- Live roles
- 373
Highest-paying jobs
CISO
Chief Information Security Officer
Head of Security & Compliance
Head of Security & Compliance
Chief Information Security Officer
Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)
Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)
Chief Information Security Officer
Field Chief Information Security Officer (Field CISO)
Head of Product Security
Highest-paying jobs
Software Engineer, Cybersecurity Products
Research Engineer, Cybersecurity RL (Reinforcement Learning)
Full Stack Software Engineer, Cybersecurity Products
Sr. CSfC Cybersecurity Engineer II (6376)
Sr. Cybersecurity Engineer II (6376)
Senior Cyber-Security Operations Analyst, Product AppSec
Senior Security GRC Analyst
Security Operations Analyst
Senior Software Engineer, Cybersecurity
Cyber Security Analyst II
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
Masabi
|
$482,308 | 3 |
|
Harvey
|
$317,500 | 2 |
|
Hippo Insurance
|
$313,750 | 2 |
NexHealth
|
$180,000 | 2 |
| DR DFO Referrals | $530,000 | 1 |
|
Rain
|
$524,500 | 1 |
|
Compass
|
$375,000 | 1 |
|
Vanta
|
$339,500 | 1 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Accenture Federal Services
|
$134,850 | 11 |
CHAOS Industries
|
$150,000 | 7 |
Saalex
|
$125,000 | 7 |
|
MetroStar
|
$216,500 | 4 |
Anduril Industries
|
$114,500 | 3 |
AGE Solutions
|
$90,000 | 3 |
|
Anthropic
|
$357,500 | 2 |
|
Veeam Software
|
$213,500 | 2 |
CISO salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| New York | $295,000 | 11 |
| San Francisco | $227,500 | 9 |
| London | $222,500 | 3 |
| Seattle | $180,000 | 3 |
Cybersecurity salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle | $158,400 | 5 |
| San Francisco | $150,000 | 11 |
| Los Angeles | $150,000 | 9 |
| New York | $146,250 | 12 |
| Boston | $141,750 | 4 |
CISO vs Cybersecurity: which pays more?
The median for CISO is $287,775 per year (typically $224,375–$319,375), versus $134,925 for Cybersecurity ($112,500–$166,550). That puts CISO about 113% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so CISO and Cybersecurity are compared on equal terms regardless of the currency each role was originally posted in. Only roles that publish a salary range feed the medians; numbers refresh every few hours as new roles post and older ones close, so this comparison reflects the market right now rather than a fixed survey. Use it as a directional benchmark when weighing one path against the other.