Cybersecurity Salary Trends & The Highest Paid Jobs in Tech

If you’re stepping into cybersecurity, whether you’re fresh out of school or pivoting from another field, the salary question is always top of mind.

Let’s break down the highest paid cybersecurity jobs of 2025, but first, certifications! 👀

🚀 Ready to Level Up Your Cybersecurity Career?

If you’ve been thinking about stepping up your game in cybersecurity, it’s time to make it official. 

Whether you’re just breaking into cybersecurity or have 10+ years of experience, I’d recommend getting a Palo Alto Networks certification. 

Why? Because this isn’t just another line on your resume, it’s basically a launchpad.

• 🛡️ Show off your skills by proving you can design, deploy, configure, maintain, and troubleshoot like a pro.

• 📈 Get more job opportunities with a certification from well-known cybersecurity organization

• 💸 Higher salary potential and more credibility as a cybersecurity expert 

Plus, getting certs isn’t just for your own career, it also makes your overall Cybersecurity team look good. (So your boss will thank you too 😉.)

Right now, you can get 50 % off the Cybersecurity Apprentice and Cybersecurity Practitioner Certifications [Code: SANDRA50] 

Check out all the Palo Alto Networks Certifications here!

Here are the highest paid cybersecurity jobs in 2025: 

1. Security Architect Average Salary: $150,000 - $250,000

• Role: Designs and builds secure IT and network systems across the organization.

• Key Skills: Cloud security, zero trust architecture, threat modeling, encryption, network design.

2. Cloud Security Engineer Average Salary: $140,000 - $220,000

• Role: Secures cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and implements cloud-native security controls.

• Key Skills: IAM, DevSecOps, Kubernetes, Terraform, Python, CI/CD security.

3. Security Engineering Manager / Director of Security Engineering Average Salary: $160,000 - $250,000

• Role: Leads teams that build and implement security solutions across infrastructure and applications.

• Key Skills: Leadership, secure SDLC, application security, cloud security strategy.

4. Penetration Tester / Ethical Hacker (Senior or Lead Roles) Average Salary: $120,000 - $200,000+

• Role: Conducts simulated attacks to find and report vulnerabilities.

• Key Skills: Red teaming, exploit development, web and network testing.

5. Application Security Engineer Average Salary: $130,000 - $210,000

• Role: Secures code and software development processes.

• Key Skills: Secure coding, SAST/DAST, threat modeling, code reviews, working closely with dev teams.

As a bonus, the next best niche to go into in tech is Software Engineering, yes even with the tech job market turbulance, it’s still one of the highest paid jobs in tech even in the age of AI. 

Here’s what it’s REALLY like working as a software engineer. 

And with recent headlines warning about tech layoffs and budget cuts, it’s fair to ask: Are cybersecurity salaries actually dropping?

Not exactly. Here’s what the data says.

According to Motion Recruitment’s 2024 Tech Salary Guide, cybersecurity salaries in the U.S. held steady last year, with median pay for mid-level cybersecurity professionals around $135k-$145k. 

Entry-level roles remain in the $70k-$90k range, and senior positions still break into $160k+. 

That’s not a drop, it’s a leveling-off after years of rapid growth.

What’s shifted is how companies are hiring. 

With tighter budgets and smarter automation, employers are prioritizing impact over headcount. 

Routine tasks are getting automated or outsourced, but the demand for skilled, strategic cyber talent hasn’t gone anywhere. 

In fact, there’s a 4 million+ global talent shortage in the field.

So, are cybersecurity salaries dropping?

No ,they’re stabilizing. The salary surge has cooled, but the field still pays well and rewards those who put in the work.

What You Can Do Now is:

✅ Build real skills. Start small, but start now. Set up a home lab, try out open-source tools, explore threat detection or system hardening, anything that lets you apply what you’re learning.

✅ Work on projects. Build something. Document it. Even a simple firewall setup, a SOC dashboard mockup, or a small pentest report is better than theory alone.

✅ Join training programs or communities. Look for hands-on bootcamps, mentorships, or open challenges (like TryHackMe or Hack The Box). Surround yourself with others who are learning and doing.

✅ Use certifications strategically. Think of certs as resume boosters, not golden tickets. They help you get noticed, but skills and projects are what get you hired (and help you grow).

💡 Cyber threats are rising, regulations are tightening, and companies still need skilled defenders, now more than ever.

Don’t just learn cybersecurity, practice it.

The field is evolving, and the opportunity is still wide open for those ready to build.

-Sandra