Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between security engineers and senior security analysts can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a security engineer and a senior security analyst. Additionally, a security engineer has an average salary of $104,524, which is higher than the $103,571 average annual salary of a senior security analyst.
The top three skills for a security engineer include java, cloud security and infrastructure. The most important skills for a senior security analyst are NIST, incident response, and cloud security.
| Security Engineer | Senior Security Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $104,524 | $103,571 |
| Hourly rate | $50.25 | $49.79 |
| Growth rate | 32% | 32% |
| Number of jobs | 86,093 | 61,108 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
Security engineers are responsible for developing and overseeing data and security software to help prevent data breaches, leaks, and taps related to cybercrime. Other duties and responsibilities include developing new systems to help protect computer networks and assets, configuring firewalls, and conducting penetration testing to pinpoint vulnerabilities. Additionally, security engineers are responsible for investigating attacks and help prevent cybersecurity threat. They are also responsible for creating new processes for authorization, encryption algorithms, and authentication, and analyzing current security policies.
A senior security analyst is a digital professional who creates and implements firewalls and software systems to protect data and prevent attacks on private data. Senior security analysts aim to identify weaknesses in a network's security system and prevent breaches from occurring. Within larger organizations, senior security analysts are required to work with professionals who specialize in networking, information technology (IT), and computer system. They must also design security protocols and systems to better protect their customers and user data.
Security engineers and senior security analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Security Engineer | Senior Security Analyst | |
| Average salary | $104,524 | $103,571 |
| Salary range | Between $77,000 And $141,000 | Between $79,000 And $135,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | ICE Mortgage Technology | Coinbase |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Government |
There are a few differences between a security engineer and a senior security analyst in terms of educational background:
| Security Engineer | Senior Security Analyst | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Business |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between security engineers' and senior security analysts' demographics:
| Security Engineer | Senior Security Analyst | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 86.4% Female, 13.6% | Male, 76.5% Female, 23.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 9.6% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 9.6% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |