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Chief security officer salary
Average chief security officer salary
$144,017
Understanding the Chief Security Officer Salary
As of October 2025, the average salary for a Chief Security Officer (CSO) stands at $144,017 per year. The role commands a competitive hourly wage of approximately $69. Salary ranges vary significantly based on factors such as experience, industry, and location. For instance, CSOs in technology and finance sectors tend to earn higher salaries compared to those in non-profit organizations.
Regional Salary Differences
In addition to industry, geographic location plays a critical role in salary variations. States like California and New York often offer higher salaries due to their cost of living and demand for security professionals. Understanding these dynamics can help job seekers make informed decisions about their career paths.
Career Opportunities
With the increasing importance of security in all sectors, the demand for qualified Chief Security Officers continues to grow. Exploring various job listings can provide insights into required qualifications and skills, helping candidates prepare for successful applications in this essential field.
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Where can a Chief Security Officer earn more?
Chief security officer salary estimates from across the web
Average chief security officer salary by state
The average chief security officer salary in California, Washington, and Maryland are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average chief security officer salary states are Montana, Wyoming, and Florida.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for chief security officers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rhode Island | $138,636 | $66.65 |
| 2 | Washington | $157,626 | $75.78 |
| 3 | New Jersey | $149,235 | $71.75 |
| 4 | New York | $145,708 | $70.05 |
| 5 | Nevada | $133,185 | $64.03 |
| 6 | Minnesota | $136,749 | $65.74 |
| 7 | Arizona | $133,438 | $64.15 |
| 8 | Maryland | $153,957 | $74.02 |
| 9 | California | $167,160 | $80.37 |
| 10 | Oregon | $139,348 | $66.99 |
| 11 | Pennsylvania | $130,454 | $62.72 |
| 12 | Connecticut | $140,740 | $67.66 |
| 13 | Massachusetts | $142,134 | $68.33 |
| 14 | Alaska | $136,955 | $65.84 |
| 15 | Texas | $133,181 | $64.03 |
| 16 | Alabama | $127,308 | $61.21 |
| 17 | District of Columbia | $138,503 | $66.59 |
| 18 | Delaware | $137,078 | $65.90 |
| 19 | Illinois | $131,572 | $63.26 |
| 20 | New Hampshire | $133,969 | $64.41 |
| 21 | Ohio | $126,786 | $60.95 |
| 22 | Maine | $130,986 | $62.97 |
| 23 | Georgia | $129,260 | $62.14 |
| 24 | Michigan | $129,621 | $62.32 |
| 25 | New Mexico | $124,544 | $59.88 |
| 26 | North Dakota | $121,986 | $58.65 |
| 27 | North Carolina | $123,369 | $59.31 |
| 28 | Idaho | $121,456 | $58.39 |
| 29 | Wisconsin | $129,265 | $62.15 |
| 30 | Utah | $130,742 | $62.86 |
| 31 | Vermont | $120,141 | $57.76 |
| 32 | Virginia | $118,250 | $56.85 |
| 33 | South Carolina | $119,870 | $57.63 |
| 34 | Louisiana | $118,568 | $57.00 |
| 35 | Iowa | $114,388 | $54.99 |
| 36 | Missouri | $115,160 | $55.37 |
| 37 | Indiana | $114,455 | $55.03 |
| 38 | Mississippi | $108,726 | $52.27 |
| 39 | Nebraska | $111,690 | $53.70 |
| 40 | Kentucky | $114,541 | $55.07 |
| 41 | West Virginia | $112,341 | $54.01 |
| 42 | Oklahoma | $112,913 | $54.29 |
| 43 | Tennessee | $111,586 | $53.65 |
| 44 | Kansas | $112,341 | $54.01 |
| 45 | South Dakota | $108,900 | $52.36 |
| 46 | Hawaii | $111,998 | $53.85 |
| 47 | Colorado | $110,467 | $53.11 |
| 48 | Montana | $109,386 | $52.59 |
| 49 | Arkansas | $108,326 | $52.08 |
| 50 | Wyoming | $108,953 | $52.38 |
| 51 | Florida | $108,914 | $52.36 |
Highest paying cities for chief security officers
The highest-paying cities for chief security officers are San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, and Rockville, MD.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $176,708 | $84.96 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $160,314 | $77.07 |
| 3 | Rockville, MD | $154,971 | $74.51 |
| 4 | Albany, NY | $147,324 | $70.83 |
| 5 | Boston, MA | $142,539 | $68.53 |
| 6 | Greenwich, CT | $140,564 | $67.58 |
| 7 | Portland, OR | $139,454 | $67.05 |
| 8 | Washington, DC | $138,965 | $66.81 |
| 9 | Roseville, MN | $136,888 | $65.81 |
| 10 | Austin, TX | $134,784 | $64.80 |
| 11 | Scottsdale, AZ | $134,032 | $64.44 |
| 12 | Concord, NH | $133,980 | $64.41 |
| 13 | Batavia, IL | $131,706 | $63.32 |
| 14 | Atlanta, GA | $129,389 | $62.21 |
| 15 | Cleveland, OH | $128,439 | $61.75 |
| 16 | Albuquerque, NM | $124,794 | $60.00 |
| 17 | Charlotte, NC | $122,175 | $58.74 |
| 18 | Arlington, VA | $118,867 | $57.15 |
| 19 | Urban Honolulu, HI | $112,549 | $54.11 |
| 20 | Cookeville, TN | $112,426 | $54.05 |
Chief security officer salary details
A chief security officer's salary ranges from $101,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $204,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a chief security officer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $204,000 | $17,000 | $98 |
| 75th Percentile | $173,000 | $14,417 | $83 |
| Average | $144,017 | $12,001 | $69 |
| 25th Percentile | $119,000 | $9,917 | $57 |
| 10th Percentile | $101,000 | $8,417 | $49 |
Highest paying chief security officer jobs
The highest paying types of chief security officers are information security officer, information security manager, and information technology security manager.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Information Assurance Engineer | $89,291 | $7,441 | $42.93 | 104,421 |
| Securities Consultant | $92,092 | $7,674 | $44.27 | 27,296 |
| Securities Analyst | $84,334 | $7,028 | $40.55 | 33,422 |
| Information Technology Security Manager | $124,792 | $10,399 | $60.00 | 120,463 |
| Information Security Analyst | $98,144 | $8,179 | $47.18 | 112,818 |
| SAP Security Consultant | $95,562 | $7,963 | $45.94 | 70,622 |
Top companies hiring chief security officers now:
Which companies pay chief security officers the most?
Chief security officer salaries at McKinsey & Company Inc and TS Imagine are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average chief security officer salary at companies like Okta and Kaiser Permanente are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McKinsey & Company Inc | $196,477 | $94.46 |
| 2 | TS Imagine | $175,771 | $84.51 |
| 3 | Okta | $174,328 | $83.81 |
| 4 | Kaiser Permanente | $156,389 | $75.19 |
| 5 | Queens Health Systems | $155,290 | $74.66 |
| 6 | meZocliq | $149,387 | $71.82 |
| 7 | Gap Inc. | $147,919 | $71.11 |
| 8 | The Independent Traveler | $147,677 | $71.00 |
| 9 | Jobandtalent | $147,674 | $71.00 |
| 10 | Ambisafe | $147,674 | $71.00 |
| 11 | Amgen | $147,322 | $70.83 |
| 12 | Spear Education | $147,286 | $70.81 |
| 13 | Media Services | $147,221 | $70.78 |
| 14 | Brighton Health Plan Solutions | $146,646 | $70.50 |
| 15 | Shalom Austin JCC | $144,897 | $69.66 |
| 16 | Tiburcio Vasquez Health Center | $144,000 | $69.23 |
| 17 | iMentor | $141,126 | $67.85 |
| 18 | Argonne National Laboratory | $140,174 | $67.39 |
| 19 | Silicon Labs | $140,162 | $67.39 |
| 20 | Aon | $136,342 | $65.55 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Chief Security Officer salary by industry
The average chief security officer salary varies across industries:
- The average chief security officer salary in the insurance industry is $146,069, the highest of any industry.
- The average chief security officer salary in the finance industry is $132,558.
- Chief security officers in the government industry earn an average salary of $110,620, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for chief security officers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Insurance | $146,069 | $70.23 |
| 2 | Media | $132,558 | $63.73 |
| 3 | Hospitality | $127,032 | $61.07 |
| 4 | Government | $110,620 | $53.18 |
High paying chief security officer jobs
Chief security officer salary trends
The average chief security officer salary has risen by $31,576 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average chief security officer earned $112,441 annually, but today, they earn $144,017 a year. That works out to a 11% change in pay for chief security officers over the last decade.
Compare chief security officer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average chief security officer salary over time
Compare chief security officer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Chief security officer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $144,000 | $69.24 | +3.2% |
| 2025 | $139,000 | $67.04 | +2.6% |
| 2024 | $136,000 | $65.29 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $133,000 | $63.77 | +2.5% |
| 2022 | $129,000 | $62.21 | +3.1% |
Recently added chief security officer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Middletown Board of Education | Chief Academic Officer | Middletown, CT | 06/27/2025 | $150,000 |
| Leidos | SSA Program Chief Security Officer | Baltimore, MD | 05/15/2025 | $80,600 |
| New Mexico State University | Chief Info Security Officer | Las Cruces, NM | 04/22/2025 | $126,901 |
| Unilever | Chief People Officer | San Francisco, CA | 03/28/2025 | $270,000 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | Security Officer (Chief of Police) | Harrison, MT | 03/27/2025 | $88,621 |
| Oklahoma Military Department | Chief Security Officer | Oklahoma City, OK | 03/24/2025 | $48,460 |
| Ohio Department of Education | Chief Advancement Officer | Columbus, OH | 03/19/2025 | $105,000 |
| Ardmore Career | Chief People Officer | Lanham, MD | 03/09/2025 | $125,000 |
| Afpstl | Chief Philanthropy Officer | Noma, FL | 02/19/2025 | $120,000 |
| Democratic Party | Chief Security Officer | Washington, DC | 02/18/2025 | $205,000 |
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