Side-by-side distribution
Cybersecurity
$134,925
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 33.5%
- Live roles
- 373
Penetration Tester
$184,700
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 31.5%
- Live roles
- 73
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
Highest-paying jobs
Offensive Security Engineer, Agent Products
Member of Technical Staff (Offensive Security Engineer)
Offensive Hardware Security Engineer, Platform Security
Principal Offensive Security Engineer
Senior Information Security Engineer, Offensive Security
Staff Offensive Security Engineer
Senior Information Security Engineer, Offensive Security
Penetration Tester
WebApp Offensive Security Software Engineer
Offensive Security Engineer
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 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| GR GRVTY | $215,000 | 2 |
|
Robinhood
|
$191,444 | 2 |
|
Accenture Federal Services
|
$174,200 | 2 |
M9 Solutions
|
$120,000 | 2 |
TP-Link Systems Inc.
|
$106,000 | 2 |
|
OpenAI
|
$418,500 | 1 |
|
Anthropic
|
$362,500 | 1 |
|
Perplexity
|
$312,500 | 1 |
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 |
Penetration Tester salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $312,500 | 5 |
| New York | $236,000 | 7 |
Cybersecurity vs Penetration Tester: which pays more?
The median for Cybersecurity is $134,925 per year (typically $112,500–$166,550), versus $184,700 for Penetration Tester ($136,250–$218,250). That puts Penetration Tester about 37% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Cybersecurity and Penetration Tester 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.