Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Job outlook for information security managers in the United States
Information security manager job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected information security manager job growth rate is 32% from 2018-2028.
About 35,500 new jobs for information security managers are projected over the next decade.
Information security manager salaries have increased 12% for information security managers in the last 5 years.
There are over 15,211 information security managers currently employed in the United States.
There are 115,414 active information security manager job openings in the US.
The average information security manager salary is $126,447.
Are information security manager jobs in demand?
Information security manager job and salary trends over time
Information security manager jobs over time
Information security manager job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 15,211 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 14,336 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 13,604 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 20,313 | 0.01% |
| 2017 | 19,785 | 0.01% |
Average information security manager salary over time
Information security manager salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $126,447 | $60.79 | +3.4% |
| 2025 | $122,280 | $58.79 | +2.3% |
| 2024 | $119,512 | $57.46 | +3.0% |
| 2023 | $116,061 | $55.80 | +3.1% |
| 2022 | $112,525 | $54.10 | +2.8% |
Information security manager jobs by state
Most common states for information security managers
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 519 | 75% |
| 2 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 347 | 33% |
| 3 | Delaware | 961,939 | 286 | 30% |
| 4 | Alaska | 739,795 | 218 | 29% |
| 5 | Vermont | 623,657 | 183 | 29% |
| 6 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 1,505 | 27% |
| 7 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 201 | 27% |
| 8 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 1,894 | 26% |
| 9 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 352 | 26% |
| 10 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 255 | 24% |
| 11 | Illinois | 12,802,023 | 2,907 | 23% |
| 12 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 935 | 23% |
| 13 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 202 | 23% |
| 14 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 136 | 23% |
| 15 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 1,989 | 22% |
| 16 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 1,887 | 22% |
| 17 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 1,494 | 22% |
| 18 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 419 | 22% |
| 19 | Pennsylvania | 12,805,537 | 2,678 | 21% |
| 20 | North Carolina | 10,273,419 | 2,124 | 21% |
Most common cities for information security managers
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Naugatuck | 2 | 6% | $118,675 |
| 2 | Bethesda | 2 | 3% | $114,732 |
| 3 | Wilmington | 2 | 3% | $118,204 |
| 4 | Annapolis | 1 | 3% | $115,183 |
| 5 | Atlanta | 3 | 1% | $107,583 |
| 6 | Tampa | 3 | 1% | $99,939 |
| 7 | Alexandria | 1 | 1% | $107,677 |
| 8 | Alhambra | 1 | 1% | $148,169 |
| 9 | Austin | 3 | 0% | $124,600 |
| 10 | Indianapolis | 3 | 0% | $97,579 |
| 11 | San Diego | 3 | 0% | $144,360 |
| 12 | Colorado Springs | 2 | 0% | $106,063 |
| 13 | Denver | 2 | 0% | $105,460 |
| 14 | Houston | 2 | 0% | $123,900 |
| 15 | Philadelphia | 2 | 0% | $107,456 |
| 16 | Baton Rouge | 1 | 0% | $105,357 |
Information Security Manager job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of information security manager experts
Rider University
Pace University
Medaille College
Texas A&M University San Antonio
What Information Security Manager skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Zhengping Luo Ph.D.: Cybersecurity is a rapidly evolving field deeply rooted in Computer Science. To excel as a cybersecurity expert, you must understand the underlying technology of information systems. Therefore, continuous learning and staying updated with the latest technologies are essential. Currently, generative models like large language models are on the rise. It won't be long before cybersecurity concerns expand to include artificial intelligence technologies. Thus, the ability to keep pace with technological advancements, such as AI, is crucial for cybersecurity professionals. Cybersecurity is still evolving, and programming/debugging skills remain crucial. In addition, strong communication and teamwork skills are increasingly essential for cybersecurity experts.
What will help Information Security Managers increase their earning potential?
Zhengping Luo Ph.D.: Maximizing your salary potential hinges on providing value in a market-driven economy. Make sure to focus on developing skills that are in high demand. One of the tips is to consider expanding your horizons beyond where you grow up or the place you received your degree. Explore opportunities in locations that value your talents and offer competitive compensation, such as different cities, states, or even nations. Additionally, don't limit yourself to familiar job roles; be open to new positions and industries. The evolving job market continually creates new and unforeseen opportunities. While striving for financial success is important, it's equally vital to consider long-term goals and personal fulfillment. Prioritize maximizing life experiences and other cherished values alongside financial goals.
What general advice would you give to an Information Security Manager?
Dr. Darren Hayes: Add a cover letter, to accompany your resume, as many older people who review your resume expect you to include one. Don't just list your skills but mention some special projects that you were involved in, or your impact on an organization during an internship. These demonstrate the application of your skills and can be great talking points during an interview. Don't add a lot of acronyms to your resume and expect that the reviewer will know what those mean - spell everything out. Read about the organization that you are applying to before an interview - it shows that you care and are taking an interest while in the interview. Professional certifications, in addition to your degree, will give you an edge over other applicants. Additionally, participation in team competitions, such as capture the flag, demonstrates a willingness to learn beyond the classroom, hone your skills, and ability to work in a team setting. Cybersecurity, digital forensics, IT, are always evolving so you need to continue to evolve too. Therefore, you should have plans to continue learning, such as professional certifications, graduate degree, training classes and other continuing education options. Talk about your plans and goals in an interview and not just about what you have done.
What Information Security Manager skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Darren Hayes: Many students add 'Excellent communication skills' to their resume but cannot explain what they mean by this. If you can demonstrate this by showing a website that you created, detailing your skills, portfolio of special projects, and other key successes, then it shows that you went the extra mile. Excellent communication skills can also be demonstrated with a YouTube video that you created, a presentation you gave at an academic conference or at other speaking engagements. Graduates looking for a job with Homeland Security that can demonstrate excellent writing skills are in need. My students who possessed excellent writing skills, in addition to technical skills, generally ended up making a higher salary. Those in high-ranking positions are generally assigned reporting responsibilities that require a good command of the English language. Critical thinking is also vitally important.
What will help Information Security Managers increase their earning potential?
Dr. Darren Hayes: Artificial intelligence - in terms of automating certain areas of cybersecurity, such as acquiring threat intelligence, malware detection and being alerted to network breaches. Ransomware continues to be the primary concern for most organizations and using AI to quickly identify those threats and quickly respond will be key. AI can also be used in investigations, such as photo searches to identify where a suspect is or to find a missing person. Knowledge of current events - especially geopolitical events. These events have repercussions for the most sophisticated (state-sponsored) cyber attacks. Knowledge of a second, third or fourth language, is helpful now and will continue to be important - especially from a cybersecurity perspective because investigations often include foreign nationals. Knowledge of malware is really important for homeland security and this area of expertise will continue to be in demand. Incident response will continue to be understaffed and therefore tremendous opportunities will continue for those who can respond to network breaches, forensically analyze systems, examine malware, etc. Other areas of importance include, machine learning, quantum computing, open source intelligence (OSINT), threat intelligence (especially related to critical infrastructure and SCADA), cryptocurrencies, IoT threats and IoT evidence, to name but a few.
Dr. Steven MacMartin
Director, Associate ProfessorMedaille College
Homeland Security Program
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Information Security Manager 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 certifications/licenses/courses can have the biggest impact for Information Security Managers?
Izzat Alsmadi: All certificates related to the earlier fields, specially data science and cyber security.
What's a good job out of college for Information Security Managers?
Izzat Alsmadi: It really depends on person interests, skills and expectations.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Information Security Manager job market given the pandemic?
Izzat Alsmadi: For IT data science and cyber security will continue to grow for sure in the next few years.
Applications in smart phones, cloud computing, IoT will also see continuous interests.