Side-by-side distribution
Penetration Tester
$184,700
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 31.5%
- Live roles
- 73
Surgeon
$324,171
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 20.2%
- Live roles
- 124
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
Highest-paying jobs
Oral Surgeon
Orthopaedic Surgeon | Staff Specialist | 0.5 FTE
Orthopedic Spine Surgeon - Mesa, AZ
Oral Surgeon Opportunity - Central New York
Orthopaedic Surgeon | Regional WA
Mohs Surgeon with Partnership-Shareholder Track
Part-time Mohs Surgeon / Dermatologist
Mohs Surgeon - Dermatologist
Mohs Surgeon with Shareholder Track
Breast Surgeon
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 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
Greenlife Healthcare Staffing
|
$350,000 | 4 |
|
Oral Surgery Partners
|
$225,000 | 4 |
|
Platinum Dermatology Partners - Physicians
|
$450,000 | 3 |
|
HealthOp Solutions
|
$300,000 | 3 |
|
Mediix
|
$569,244 | 2 |
|
Leading Edge Specialized Dentistry
|
$475,000 | 2 |
| PH Pulse Healthcare | $256,818 | 2 |
Bond Vet
|
$247,500 | 2 |
Penetration Tester salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $312,500 | 5 |
| New York | $236,000 | 7 |
Surgeon salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| New York | $350,000 | 6 |
Penetration Tester vs Surgeon: which pays more?
The median for Penetration Tester is $184,700 per year (typically $136,250–$218,250), versus $324,171 for Surgeon ($247,500–$450,000). That puts Surgeon about 76% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Penetration Tester and Surgeon 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.