Side-by-side distribution
Penetration Tester
$183,600
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 30.9%
- Live roles
- 94
SOC Analyst
$120,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 25.3%
- Live roles
- 83
Highest-paying jobs
Offensive Security Agent Engineer
Offensive Security Engineer, Agent Products
Member of Technical Staff (Offensive Security Engineer)
Offensive Hardware Security Engineer, Platform Security
Principal Offensive Security Engineer
Staff Offensive Security Engineer
Senior Information Security Engineer, Offensive Security
Staff Offensive Security Engineer
Senior Information Security Engineer, Offensive Security
Senior Information Security Engineer, Offensive Security
Highest-paying jobs
Senior Cyber-Security Operations Analyst, Product AppSec
Cyber-Security Operations Analyst III, Product AppSec
Security Operations Analyst
Security Operations Analyst
Security Operations Analyst
Security Operations Analyst
SOC Analyst
Security Operations Analyst - Tier 3
Cybersecurity SOC Analyst II
SOC Analyst (5333)
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Fortreum
|
$145,000 | 4 |
| GR GRVTY | $212,500 | 3 |
|
OpenAI
|
$418,500 | 2 |
|
Samsara
|
$213,310 | 2 |
|
Robinhood
|
$193,114 | 2 |
Accenture Federal Services
|
$174,200 | 2 |
TP-Link Systems Inc.
|
$106,000 | 2 |
|
Anthropic
|
$362,500 | 1 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
Anduril Industries
|
$150,000 | 4 |
| KS Knox Systems | $117,500 | 3 |
|
Veeam Software
|
$213,500 | 2 |
Esri
|
$92,352 | 2 |
| HU Huntress | $91,324 | 2 |
|
Horizon3 AI
|
$142,425 | 1 |
|
CHAOS Industries
|
$135,000 | 1 |
Clearcapital
|
$126,400 | 1 |
Penetration Tester salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $337,500 | 6 |
| New York | $312,500 | 7 |
| Seattle | $268,750 | 6 |
Penetration Tester vs SOC Analyst: which pays more?
The median for Penetration Tester is $183,600 per year (typically $148,921–$219,255), versus $120,000 for SOC Analyst ($97,500–$142,425). That puts Penetration Tester about 53% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Penetration Tester and SOC Analyst 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.