Post job

Senior security specialist salary

Average senior security specialist salary

$106,764

$51.33 hourly rate

Entry-level senior security specialist salary
$72,000 yearly salary
Updated December 15, 2025

Average Senior Security Specialist Salary

The average salary for a Senior Security Specialist in the United States is $106,764 per year, which translates to approximately $51 per hour. This salary reflects the importance of cybersecurity in today’s business environment, where protecting sensitive information is crucial.

Salary Variations by State

Salary figures can vary significantly depending on geographic location. For instance, states with higher costs of living and more robust tech industries typically offer higher salaries. For example, states like California and New York often feature among the highest paying regions for this role.

Top Industries for Senior Security Specialists

Senior Security Specialists are in demand across various sectors, including finance, healthcare, and technology. The financial services industry tends to offer some of the top salaries, reflecting the critical nature of security in protecting financial data.

Career Opportunities

As cybersecurity risks continue to grow, so do opportunities for Senior Security Specialists. Companies are increasingly investing in security teams, leading to a strong job market. For those pursuing a career in this field, staying updated on industry trends and obtaining relevant certifications can enhance job prospects.

On this page
Senior security specialist salary by: 

Let Zippia find your next senior security specialist job

Floating question marks illustration

Let Zippia find your next senior security specialist job

Floating question marks illustration

Where can a Senior Security Specialist earn more?

Compare salary by location
Vs
147k
127k
107k
87k
67k
47k
Columbus, OH$121,148
Colorado Springs, CO$77,091
Compare salary by company
Vs
181k
161k
141k
121k
101k
81k
The Walt Disney Company$152,894
General Electric$111,129

Senior security specialist salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Indeed, Glassdoor, Ziprecruiter and Payscale, the average salary for a senior security specialist typically falls between $80,000 and $192,277.
zippia
$106,764yearly
glassdoor[1]
$192,277yearly
indeed[2]
$123,554yearly
Salary.com[3]
$93,285yearly
ZipRecruiter[4]
$83,750yearly
payscale[5]
$80,000yearly

Average senior security specialist salary by state

The highest-paying states for senior security specialists are California, New Jersey, and Connecticut. The lowest average senior security specialist salary states are Kansas, Tennessee, and Arkansas.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for senior security specialists

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Pennsylvania$106,432$51.17
2Rhode Island$105,308$50.63
3Nevada$105,247$50.60
4New Jersey$107,778$51.82
5Minnesota$103,808$49.91
6New York$106,953$51.42
7North Carolina$101,511$48.80
8Michigan$107,242$51.56
9Texas$101,780$48.93
10Connecticut$107,479$51.67
11Delaware$102,310$49.19
12Virginia$105,846$50.89
13California$114,242$54.92
14West Virginia$98,694$47.45
15New Hampshire$97,542$46.90
16Indiana$96,226$46.26
17New Mexico$98,258$47.24
18Arizona$95,767$46.04
19Alaska$95,226$45.78
20Oregon$98,811$47.51
21Mississippi$90,607$43.56
22Utah$98,959$47.58
23Illinois$93,093$44.76
24Maine$96,995$46.63
25Massachusetts$103,138$49.59
26District of Columbia$96,039$46.17
27Kentucky$92,257$44.35
28Vermont$93,790$45.09
29Alabama$88,782$42.68
30Ohio$87,951$42.28
31Louisiana$91,937$44.20
32North Dakota$90,185$43.36
33Georgia$91,180$43.84
34Florida$97,175$46.72
35Washington$91,694$44.08
36Iowa$86,446$41.56
37Idaho$90,713$43.61
38Maryland$96,858$46.57
39Montana$84,664$40.70
40Missouri$83,777$40.28
41Wisconsin$83,762$40.27
42South Carolina$84,909$40.82
43Oklahoma$81,613$39.24
44Tennessee$78,139$37.57
45Nebraska$72,795$35.00
46Hawaii$86,967$41.81
47Kansas$79,791$38.36
48Wyoming$80,131$38.52
49Arkansas$77,037$37.04
50South Dakota$76,049$36.56
51Colorado$75,702$36.40

Highest paying cities for senior security specialists

The highest-paying cities for senior security specialists are San Francisco, CA, Perth Amboy, NJ, and New York, NY.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1San Francisco, CA$121,148$58.24
2Perth Amboy, NJ$107,741$51.80
3New York, NY$107,230$51.55
4Philadelphia, PA$107,099$51.49
5Arlington, VA$106,807$51.35
6Minneapolis, MN$103,893$49.95
7Cambridge, MA$102,997$49.52
8San Antonio, TX$102,505$49.28
9Charlotte, NC$99,513$47.84
10Gainesville, FL$99,469$47.82
11Manchester, NH$97,574$46.91
12Baltimore, MD$97,021$46.64
13Washington, DC$96,163$46.23
14Chandler, AZ$95,806$46.06
15Chicago, IL$93,882$45.14
16Seattle, WA$92,532$44.49
17Atlanta, GA$90,405$43.46
18Colorado Springs, CO$77,091$37.06

Senior security specialist salary details

A senior security specialist's salary ranges from $72,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $156,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average senior security specialist salary graph
Average senior security specialist salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a senior security specialist's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$156,000$13,000$75
75th Percentile$130,000$10,833$63
Average$106,764$8,897$51
25th Percentile$87,000$7,250$42
10th Percentile$72,000$6,000$35

Highest paying senior security specialist jobs

The highest paying types of senior security specialists are information security officer, information security manager, and information technology security manager.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Information Assurance Engineer$89,291$7,441$42.93104,421
Securities Consultant$92,092$7,674$44.2727,296
Information Technology Security Manager$124,792$10,399$60.00120,463
Information Systems Security Officer$90,730$7,561$43.62202,299
Security Engineer$104,524$8,710$50.2586,093
Security Manager$111,171$9,264$53.4551,717

Top companies hiring senior security specialists now:

  1. BNY Mellon jobs (12)
  2. JPMorgan Chase & Co. jobs (22)
  3. SAIC jobs (8)
  4. CenturyLink jobs (5)
  5. ESPN jobs (6)

Which companies pay senior security specialists the most?

Senior security specialist salaries at The Walt Disney Company and SAP are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average senior security specialist salary at companies like Valero Energy and Amazon are highly competitive.

RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rate
1The Walt Disney Company$152,894$73.51
2SAP$148,915$71.59
3Valero Energy$138,848$66.75
4Amazon$127,788$61.44
5Zscaler$126,801$60.96
6BNY Mellon$126,444$60.79
7Katalyst Technologies$125,772$60.47
8Sonalysts$123,654$59.45
9Akamai Technologies$121,867$58.59
10Salient CRGT$119,423$57.41
11Lucid Motors$119,150$57.28
12SITA$118,743$57.09
13Novartis$117,457$56.47
14Elbit Systems of America$116,994$56.25
15Santander Bank$116,475$56.00
16Sierra-Cedar$113,732$54.68
17Ingram Micro$113,693$54.66
18Ball$113,215$54.43
19SAIC$112,101$53.89
20General Electric$111,129$53.43

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$111,000$109,400$107,800$106,200$104,600$103,000
MaleFemale

Senior Security Specialist salary by industry

The average senior security specialist salary varies across industries:

  • The average senior security specialist salary in the finance industry is $111,344, the highest of any industry.
  • The average senior security specialist salary in the finance industry is $105,598.
  • Senior security specialists in the government industry earn an average salary of $72,367, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for senior security specialists

RankIndustryAverage salaryHourly rate
1Finance$111,344$53.53
2Utilities$105,598$50.77
3Technology$102,858$49.45
4Transportation$99,876$48.02
5Government$72,367$34.79

High paying senior security specialist jobs

Senior security specialist salary trends

The average senior security specialist salary has risen by $19,732 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average senior security specialist earned $87,032 annually, but today, they earn $106,764 a year. That works out to a 12% change in pay for senior security specialists over the last decade.

Compare senior security specialist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average senior security specialist salary over time

Compare senior security specialist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Senior security specialist salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2026$107,000$51.33+3.3%
2025$103,000$49.64+2.3%
2024$101,000$48.51+2.9%
2023$98,000$47.11+3.0%
2022$95,000$45.68+2.7%

Recently added senior security specialist salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
JeppesenSenior Industrial Security SpecialistMesa, AZ06/30/2025$96,900
TargetA2 SR Target Security SpecialistAlbany, OR06/30/2025$42,137
TargetSR Target Security Specialist-Sortation CenterChicago, IL06/30/2025$42,137
Job Listingsallied UniversalElite Security Professional-ArmedCorpus Christi, TX06/29/2025$44,871
Industrial Light & MagicSR Security Specialist, ComplianceBurbank, CA06/28/2025$118,000
Allied Universal SecurityElite Security Professional-ArmedLos Angeles, CA06/27/2025$49,900
Allied UniversalElite Security Professional-ArmedKissimmee, FL06/27/2025$45,914
BoeingSenior Industrial Security SpecialistMesa, AZ06/25/2025$96,900
Allied UniversalElite Security Professional-ArmedDowne, NJ06/24/2025$83,480
SaabusaSenior Security ProfessionalEast Syracuse, NY06/24/2025$78,900

Senior security specialist salary FAQs

Search for senior security specialist jobs

Browse computer and mathematical jobs