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Job outlook for information security officers in the United States
Information security officer job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected information security officer job growth rate is 32% from 2018-2028.
About 35,500 new jobs for information security officers are projected over the next decade.
Information security officer salaries have increased 12% for information security officers in the last 5 years.
There are over 11,669 information security officers currently employed in the United States.
There are 145,907 active information security officer job openings in the US.
The average information security officer salary is $135,040.
Are information security officer jobs in demand?
Information security officer job and salary trends over time
Information security officer jobs over time
Information security officer job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 11,669 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 10,998 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 10,437 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 15,141 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 14,720 | 0.00% |
Average information security officer salary over time
Information security officer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $135,040 | $64.92 | +3.4% |
| 2025 | $130,590 | $62.78 | +2.3% |
| 2024 | $127,634 | $61.36 | +3.0% |
| 2023 | $123,948 | $59.59 | +3.1% |
| 2022 | $120,172 | $57.77 | +2.8% |
Information security officer jobs by state
Most common states for information security officers
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 411 | 59% |
| 2 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 417 | 39% |
| 3 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 266 | 35% |
| 4 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 2,318 | 34% |
| 5 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 1,872 | 34% |
| 6 | Vermont | 623,657 | 213 | 34% |
| 7 | Idaho | 1,716,943 | 536 | 31% |
| 8 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 257 | 30% |
| 9 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 395 | 29% |
| 10 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 1,570 | 28% |
| 11 | Delaware | 961,939 | 273 | 28% |
| 12 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 1,995 | 27% |
| 13 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 524 | 27% |
| 14 | Alaska | 739,795 | 203 | 27% |
| 15 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 1,093 | 26% |
| 16 | Arizona | 7,016,270 | 1,786 | 25% |
| 17 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 1,515 | 25% |
| 18 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 771 | 25% |
| 19 | Illinois | 12,802,023 | 3,068 | 24% |
| 20 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 2,177 | 24% |
Most common cities for information security officers
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norwich | 1 | 3% | $154,017 |
| 2 | Schenectady | 1 | 2% | $133,766 |
| 3 | Washington | 5 | 1% | $148,267 |
| 4 | Tampa | 2 | 1% | $114,865 |
| 5 | Ann Arbor | 1 | 1% | $111,617 |
| 6 | El Monte | 1 | 1% | $160,175 |
| 7 | Fort Lauderdale | 1 | 1% | $111,575 |
| 8 | Santa Clara | 1 | 1% | $171,767 |
| 9 | Chicago | 4 | 0% | $121,154 |
| 10 | Denver | 3 | 0% | $118,008 |
| 11 | Atlanta | 2 | 0% | $120,305 |
| 12 | Aurora | 1 | 0% | $117,916 |
| 13 | Baltimore | 1 | 0% | $125,873 |
| 14 | Irving | 1 | 0% | $125,880 |
| 15 | Los Angeles | 1 | 0% | $160,463 |
| 16 | Sacramento | 1 | 0% | $172,391 |
| 17 | Saint Petersburg | 1 | 0% | $114,738 |
| 18 | San Diego | 1 | 0% | $156,115 |
Information Security Officer job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of information security officer experts
Northwood University
The University of Tampa
Albertus Magnus College
Medaille College
Professor David Sanford
Associate Professor an Department Chair (MIS, CS, CYB MGT, IS CYB)Northwood University
Computer And Information Sciences
What general advice would you give to an Information Security Officer?
Professor David Sanford: Workers like that they are challenged to solve problems and lead technological innovations.
They appreciate the diversity of projects
They enjoy the need for continuous improvement and education
Many see the global impact of their work.
They also desire and appreciate the need for versatile skills
A competitive salary is also an item that employees like
Workers dislike that the work can be stressful
Dealing with tight deadlines and/ or cybersecurity concerns.
This is a positive and a negative: The need to constantly stay up to date with technology can be a bit overwhelming for some.
There may be times of isolation, and
The unexpected system failures can be frustrating as they often require extra hours or the need to be on-call.
The multiple responsibilities and managing repetitive tasks are also issues workers point out in this field.
In short, the workplace offers exciting opportunities but comes with its fair share of pressures and challenges. Different people have different experiences based on their roles and personal preferences.
Louis Bobelis
Part-Time FacultyThe University of Tampa
Information and Technology Management Department
What hard/technical skills are most important for Information Security Officers?
Louis Bobelis: An ability to triage events and understand a cyber investigation process. Understand how to sandbox a file and locate IOCs (Indicators of Compromise) within the file. Knowing and understanding the MITRE Kill Chain and other Cybersecurity standards.
What soft skills should all Information Security Officers possess?
Louis Bobelis: I feel the most important soft skill is character. Being outspoken and able to explain technical cyber incidents decisively and clearly for non-IT-oriented people in your organization is especially important when you are in more senior-level positions.
David Garaventa
Director, Computer Information Systems and Cybersecurity Programs, Assistant Professor, CISAlbertus Magnus College
Business Administration and Management Department
What skills stand out on Information Security Officer resumes?
David Garaventa: The skills/attributes required across a variety of jobs in the IT fields.
What soft skills should all Information Security Officers possess?
David Garaventa: Communication and collaboration skills are critical. Particularly now that many employees are working remotely, it has become more difficult - yet more important than ever - to have IT teams that work effectively together, even when they are not in the same room together. But this is not unique to the IT realm. Whether via remote meetings or through effective written communications, it is no longer enough to simply have "technical skills." Technical skills can be taught to employees more easily than developing employee's soft skills, so when an employee approaches their job with a strong set of communication skills and strong analytic reading and writing abilities, they can often make themselves stand out to employers. The employers will recognize that they have the attributes to be an asset to the team and can then invest in helping them develop any technical areas where they may be lacking.
This is not to say that technical skills don't matter, because they do, especially in the IT field. But suppose an employee brings a strong set of soft skills to an IT team (e.g., collaboration, communication, critical thinking, etc.). In that case, they probably also can learn more technical skills as part of their job function. I once had a colleague say to me that when she is hiring, she has found that technical skill is all over the place...but it's the soft skills that are harder to find. Lastly, having the ability - and a desire - to be continually learning is essential. Technology is not static, and businesses are not static, so thinking critically in different settings across various technology platforms is very important. The tools your department uses today may not be the tools they are using tomorrow, so being fluid, adaptable, and constantly learning is the name of the game.
What hard/technical skills are most important for Information Security Officers?
David Garaventa: The technical skills that are required are broad and tend to be business and/or industry-specific. If you are working in healthcare IT, the patient management platforms you use could be different from the client database used by a bank's IT team, for example. So, on the one hand, the recommendation would be to determine what platforms are most commonly used in your industry area and spend time mastering those platforms. On the other hand, most industries tend to have specific tools that are most commonly used, and spending time mastering those is important.
Going deeper into the subject, technical skills around project management, cloud infrastructure, security, and end-user support bridge across all industries. Having knowledge and skills in these areas will serve IT professionals well, no matter what field or industry they end up in. Again, it is challenging to recommend specific technical skills because the field of IT is so broad.
Dr. Steven MacMartin
Director, Associate ProfessorMedaille College
Homeland Security Program
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Information Security Officer 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 Officers possess?
Dr. Steven MacMartin: Absolutely - writing and oral presentation. A secondary skill that is helpful is academic research skills. But definitely writing skills.
How have salaries changed over time for Information Security Officers?
Dr. Steven MacMartin: Salaries have steadily risen over time. A person at my level in government is currently making $20,000/year more than I was making when I retired 10 years ago. The same can be said for many areas of law enforcement, but not all.