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Job outlook for information security administrators in the United States
Information security administrator job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected information security administrator job growth rate is 32% from 2018-2028.
About 35,500 new jobs for information security administrators are projected over the next decade.
Information security administrator salaries have increased 12% for information security administrators in the last 5 years.
There are over 7,538 information security administrators currently employed in the United States.
There are 157,160 active information security administrator job openings in the US.
The average information security administrator salary is $81,604.
Are information security administrator jobs in demand?
Information security administrator job and salary trends over time
Information security administrator jobs over time
Information security administrator job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 7,538 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 7,104 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 2,879 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 4,239 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 4,222 | 0.00% |
Average information security administrator salary over time
Information security administrator salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $81,604 | $39.23 | +3.4% |
| 2025 | $78,915 | $37.94 | +2.3% |
| 2024 | $77,129 | $37.08 | +3.0% |
| 2023 | $74,902 | $36.01 | +3.1% |
| 2022 | $72,619 | $34.91 | +2.8% |
Information security administrator jobs by state
Most common states for information security administrators
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 382 | 55% |
| 2 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 381 | 36% |
| 3 | Vermont | 623,657 | 218 | 35% |
| 4 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 452 | 34% |
| 5 | Delaware | 961,939 | 329 | 34% |
| 6 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 258 | 34% |
| 7 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 1,860 | 33% |
| 8 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 2,133 | 29% |
| 9 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 305 | 29% |
| 10 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 252 | 29% |
| 11 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 169 | 29% |
| 12 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 1,158 | 28% |
| 13 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 537 | 28% |
| 14 | Illinois | 12,802,023 | 3,444 | 27% |
| 15 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 1,880 | 27% |
| 16 | Arizona | 7,016,270 | 1,826 | 26% |
| 17 | Alaska | 739,795 | 196 | 26% |
| 18 | Pennsylvania | 12,805,537 | 3,256 | 25% |
| 19 | North Carolina | 10,273,419 | 2,614 | 25% |
| 20 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 2,257 | 25% |
Most common cities for information security administrators
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boulder | 1 | 1% | $69,970 |
| 2 | Richardson | 1 | 1% | $87,265 |
| 3 | Chicago | 1 | 0% | $81,427 |
| 4 | San Antonio | 1 | 0% | $85,709 |
Information Security Administrator job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of information security administrator experts
University of Nebraska - Omaha
Medaille College
University of Georgia
Grantek Systems Integration
AVIXA
What general advice would you give to an Information Security Administrator?
Janice Garnett Ed.D.: Negotiate based on research, develop a career development plan, focus on enhancing performance, professional growth, and continuous learning.
Dr. Steven MacMartin
Director, Associate ProfessorMedaille College
Homeland Security Program
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Information Security Administrator job market given the pandemic?
Dr. Steven MacMartin: Overall, in general? Health care, elementary school teachers, daycare, researchers at the PhD level and also low level, entry/service jobs - fast food, restaurant, bar, etc. Homeland Security specifically - really none. Jobs in the Homeland Security field have remained largely unaffected by the pandemic, and the pandemic isn't really directly related to specific Homeland Security jobs. (Maybe in the research and technology fields.). A side effect of the pandemic has been to focus a little on cyber security issues and those jobs could expand in law enforcement and Homeland Security areas.
What soft skills should all Information Security Administrators possess?
Dr. Steven MacMartin: Absolutely - writing and oral presentation. A secondary skill that is helpful is academic research skills. But definitely writing skills.
Paul Phillips CISA, CISM, MBA
IT Risk Professional Practices LeadISACA
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Information Security Administrators?
Paul Phillips CISA, CISM, MBA: Yes, there will be an enduring impact on the entire global workforce and students. More graduates will be working remotely as companies undoubtedly shift to hiring more remote workers or shifting their current employees to work from home. Graduates who are technologically savvy and innovative thinkers will be more attractive as companies are looking for innovative ways to grow in the new normal. Given the evolving times and quickly changing landscape in many industries, graduates will need to also learn to be resilient, nimble and be able to quickly pivot in their new roles as needed.
What type of skills will young Information Security Administrators need?
Paul Phillips CISA, CISM, MBA: The recommended skillsets will vary depending on the type of role that the recent graduate is pursuing. In a research development team at a non-profit association like ISACA, for example, we look for candidates not only with specific knowledge or experience in a certain field - like IT risk or IT audit - but also with the ability to analyze data and communicate about research findings or best practices in these areas in a clear way in reports and other content to our members and the larger tech community.
Because our association serves tech professionals, we also have some interesting research around what they are looking for in employees too. Technology skills (especially those related to cybersecurity), as well as creative and communication skills are both attractive to these employers. ISACA's State of Cybersecurity 2020 survey report found that cybersecurity jobs are in high demand, and 78 percent of survey respondents expect an increased demand for technical cybersecurity positions. Among the skills they are looking for in their candidates are not just IT knowledge and cybersecurity technical experience but also business insight and soft skills (like communication).
What experience really stands out on Information Security Administrator resumes?
Paul Phillips CISA, CISM, MBA: Leadership and project management skills always stand out on a resume. Having any experience in leading a project and being able to demonstrate how this was profitable or made some impact for an organization is valuable, especially for a non-profit who may be looking for how to get the biggest value with sometimes limited resources. Again, technology skills coupled with marketing and/or business skills will be of particular interest. Employers are looking for candidates who will not only be able to bring relevant skills to perform their job, but who also have the communications skills and business savvy to be able to effectively engage with leadership and understand how their work ties in with the larger objectives of the organization.
Maric Boudreau
Department Head & Associate ProfessorUniversity of Georgia
Department of Management Information Systems
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Information Security Administrators?
Maric Boudreau: Certainly - many businesses had to transform themselves to adjust to the current situation, and some of these changes will remain. For example, whereas we assumed that in-person interactions were always best, we now realize that virtual communications bring many benefits, such as greater efficiency and lower costs. Business processes have been streamlined and are more reliant on technology than ever before. MIS graduates are in a relatively good situation in that they have the necessary skill set allowing them to evolve very comfortably in a technology-based environment.
What type of skills will young Information Security Administrators need?
Maric Boudreau: Of course, we will continue to expect MIS graduates to have top-notch business and technology expertise, along with great analytical and problem-solving skills. But also, because of how businesses are transforming, these new recruits will need to be able to articulate the value they bring. In other words, they will need to make sure that, even as they might conduct a lot of their work via online means, their employer understands what they bring to the table and the contribution they make. They will also need to have self-discipline and time-management skills. Again, assuming they will not need to be physically present at all times as they conduct their work, this creates a greater requirement for self-management, both on the professional and personal fronts.
What experience really stands out on Information Security Administrator resumes?
Maric Boudreau: Internships and certifications are always considered positively by recruiters. Because of the pandemic, some of our students' summer plans fell apart (such as internships and study abroad). Those who can demonstrate that they made the best out of this situation and attempted to help others and improve their skills will stand out. For example, some of our students ended up working with small businesses and non-profit organizations in the Athens area to help them leverage technology so they could continue servicing their customers. These students developed websites, improved business processes, analyzed datasets - work that was non-compensated and done virtually. Not only did these students hone their technical skills, but also they felt quite good about helping out members of our community. Such experiences highlight students' resilience and determination when confronted with adversity, and these are the kind of things that stand out.
What type of skills will young Information Security Administrators need?
Jacob Chapman: It wasn't so long ago that I was a recent graduate - I graduated in 2014. So I try to reflect on my experience from the not-so-distant past when answering this question. Moving through roles at Grantek from an engineer to a director and regularly being in conversations around hiring and staffing needs reminds me how skewed my view of what makes a recent graduate successful was.
Something I've come to realize is how fast everything is changing. As students, we see that from a consumer perspective... such as the groundbreaking advances in wireless headphones, 5G, and TikTok. In the workforce, we experience that same change from a business perspective, and you feel it in the forms of company restructures, frequently changing roles and responsibilities, and endless experimentation.
So, I think the best recipe for success is to enter a field that you find interesting and engaging and welcome the chaos. Be willing - and excited - to throw yourself at something that's completely new and failing happily, then trying it again and getting better. Realize that tearing down old ways of thinking and re-building better ones, only to tear those down and re-build even better ones later, is an organic and flexible way of improving quickly. So focus on skills that facilitate being adaptable, excited, and collaborative. Communication skills, work-life balance skills, listening skills, and problem-solving skills are more essential than domain knowledge, in my humble opinion.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Information Security Administrators to find work opportunities?
Jacob Chapman: I would say the good news is there's a lot of flexibility. Working in the industrial automation field, manufacturing, and industrial operations are everywhere, and so are the vendors and service providers that support them. Additionally, remote access into the systems that need work done on them and employers' openness to working from home is accelerating. Finally, COVID-19 has made many organizations, which valued in-person interaction, learn that business can continue with a highly remote workforce.
With all of that being said, there are hotspots to be aware of. In life sciences, manufacturing, Raleigh-Durham, Philadelphia, New Jersey, Boston, and California come to mind. If you're open to working at an engineering services company or an OEM, your options are endless, and they're often located outside major U.S. and Canadian cities.
How do you envision technology impacting Information Security Administrators in the next 5 years?
Jacob Chapman: We are already well into an explosion of technology and innovation affecting manufacturing and industrial operations. Longstanding technology platforms and manufacturers regularly leapfrog each other in terms of performance and market dominance, making the technical landscape a constantly moving target. But one trend is currently the king of trends, which is IoT, with billions of devices being connected to the internet. The industrial space is being just as affected, and operations that were historically "simple" and mechanical will be increasingly data-driven, and manufacturers who hesitate to adopt higher-tech have a harder time being competitive.
It means professionals to implement systems, aggregate data, generate real-time insights from them, and translate those insights into business decisions will be increasingly in demand. This requires so many pieces to come together, such as networking, cybersecurity, computing, automation, smart manufacturing systems, and more. Even more important are technical professionals who also understand the business landscape, the underlying needs of industrial operations, so individuals who have had exposure to many of these areas, over time, are highly valuable.
What type of skills will young Information Security Administrators need?
Joé Lloyd: In the coming years, graduates can look to cyber/data security, AV over IP (compression and signal routing, network architecture, and artificial intelligence as areas for skill development and expertise.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Information Security Administrators to find work opportunities?
Joé Lloyd: Because AV is so tied to people, we're not an industry that has hotspots in the same way that tech, finance, and the defense industries do. Cities will have more AV jobs than rural areas, and areas with strong growth will outperform those without, but we do not predict hubs at this time.
What general advice would you give to an Information Security Administrator?
Joé Lloyd: In the AVIXA 2019 Q2 Macro-Economic Trends Analysis, we studied how tight or slack labor markets affect hiring. We found that the current economy is tough for those seeking to enter a skill-intensive industry like audiovisual (AV). Our data shows that when unemployment goes up, AV companies respond by raising hiring standards. Candidates will need a strong résumé to get hired, whether it’s in years of experience or a targeted technical degree or certification.