Information security analysts: pay, outlook and skills
Plan, implement, upgrade, or monitor security measures for the protection of computer networks and information. Assess system vulnerabilities for security risks and propose and implement risk mitigation strategies. May ensure appropriate security controls are in place that will safeguard digital files and vital electronic infrastructure. May respond to computer security breaches and viruses.
Pay distribution and location comparison
These are published pay distribution points for everyone working in this occupation, not pay levels for junior, mid, or senior roles. Location figures are pay as published; no cost-of-living adjustment is applied.
United States, all industries
| Pay point | United States | Selected area |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $75,090 | - |
| 25th percentile | $97,810 | - |
| Median | $129,180 | - |
| 75th percentile | $163,500 | - |
| 90th percentile | $199,850 | - |
| People employed | 190,650 | - |
Source: OEWS May 2025, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (imported 9/17/2026) official file Reference period: OEWS May 2025.
Long-term outlook
Official ten-year projection for 2025 to 2035. Projected annual openings are an average per year over the decade, including openings from workers leaving the occupation. They are not a count of jobs open today.
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-2035, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (imported 9/17/2026) official file Employment is published in thousands of jobs and converted here to people.
OptimizeResume analysis using U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. This is not a BLS statistic or a prediction that an individual will be hired.
Score trend
Historical scores may be restated when BLS revises underlying data. The chart uses the latest restated values.
Confidence
- At least 90% of required inputs and occupation-industry mapping are covered.
How this score is built
Monthly industry demand is mapped to this occupation using official occupation-industry relationships, then combined with occupation fundamentals and long-term projections.
Read Methodology v1.0Skills, software, and day-to-day work
Skill values are O*NET importance ratings on a 1-5 scale for the occupation itself. They describe what the work requires, not how much employers are hiring right now.
Most important skills
- Reading Comprehension4.0 / 5
- Critical Thinking3.9 / 5
- Active Listening3.8 / 5
- Complex Problem Solving3.8 / 5
- Speaking3.6 / 5
- Writing3.5 / 5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.4 / 5
- Monitoring3.4 / 5
- Systems Analysis3.4 / 5
- Active Learning3.3 / 5
- Time Management3.1 / 5
- Coordination3.0 / 5
O*NET importance rating, 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).
Software and technology
- Development environment softwareMicrosoft Azure software (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology), Microsoft PowerShell (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology), Apache Kafka (hot technology), Apache Maven (hot technology), C (hot technology), Eclipse IDE (hot technology)
- Transaction security and virus protection softwareTenable Nessus (in demand for this occupation), Anti-phishing software, Anti-spyware software, Anti-Trojan software, Check Point Next Generation Secure Web Gateway, End-to-end encryption software
- Operating system softwareLinux (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology), UNIX (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology), Apple macOS (hot technology), Bash (hot technology), Microsoft Windows (hot technology), Microsoft Windows Server (hot technology)
- Object or component oriented development softwarePython (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology), C# (hot technology), C++ (hot technology), Oracle Java (hot technology), Perl (hot technology), Scala (hot technology)
- Data base user interface and query softwareAmazon Web Services AWS software (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology), Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud EC2 (hot technology), Amazon Redshift (hot technology), Microsoft Access (hot technology), Microsoft SQL Server (hot technology), Oracle Database (hot technology)
- Network security and virtual private network VPN equipment softwareFirewall software (in demand for this occupation), Cryptographic key management software, Imperva SecureSphere, IpFilter, IpTables, Juniper Networks NetScreen-Security Manager
- Program testing softwareMITRE ATT&CK software (in demand for this occupation), Selenium (hot technology), Conformance and validation testing software, Kali Linux, System testing software
- Cloud-based management softwareSplunk Enterprise (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology), Amazon Web Services AWS CloudFormation (hot technology), IBM WebSphere
- Risk management data and analysis softwareeMASS (in demand for this occupation), ArcSight Enterprise Threat and Risk Management
- Spreadsheet softwareMicrosoft Excel (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology)
- Office suite softwareMicrosoft Office software (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology)
- Presentation softwareMicrosoft PowerPoint (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology)
O*NET marks individual examples only. “Hot technology” means the tool is frequently named across job postings generally; “in demand for this occupation” means O*NET recorded it as required by employers for this occupation. Unmarked examples are still commonly used.
Typical tasks
- Develop plans to safeguard computer files against accidental or unauthorized modification, destruction, or disclosure and to meet emergency data processing needs.
- Monitor current reports of computer viruses to determine when to update virus protection systems.
- Encrypt data transmissions and erect firewalls to conceal confidential information as it is being transmitted and to keep out tainted digital transfers.
- Perform risk assessments and execute tests of data processing system to ensure functioning of data processing activities and security measures.
- Modify computer security files to incorporate new software, correct errors, or change individual access status.
- Review violations of computer security procedures and discuss procedures with violators to ensure violations are not repeated.
- Document computer security and emergency measures policies, procedures, and tests.
- Confer with users to discuss issues such as computer data access needs, security violations, and programming changes.
- Monitor use of data files and regulate access to safeguard information in computer files.
- Coordinate implementation of computer system plan with establishment personnel and outside vendors.
Also advertised as: Information Security Officer, Information Security Specialist, Information Systems Security Analyst, Information Systems Security Officer (ISSO), Information Technology Security Analyst (IT Security Analyst), Network Security Analyst, Security Analyst, Systems Analyst.
Check your resume against a real job posting
This page describes the occupation in general. A free scan compares your own resume with the specific job description you are applying to, requirement by requirement, and shows where your real experience is already strong and where it is simply not documented yet. Only experience you actually have should ever be added.
Scan my resume freeSource: O*NET Database version 31.0 by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Used under CC BY 4.0. OptimizeResume has modified the data for display only: selected the most important rated skills, grouped software examples by category while keeping each example’s official flags, and shortened the task list.
Guides for applying to this work
Sources and how to read this page
Source: OEWS May 2025, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (imported 9/17/2026) official file
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-2035, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (imported 9/17/2026) official file
O*NET 31.0 Database version 31.0 by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0 and modified for display on this page. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
How each number should be read
- Pay percentiles describe the spread of pay across everyone in the occupation, not experience levels.
- Employment counts are jobs, not people hired during the year.
- Projected annual openings are a decade average from the official projection, not current vacancies.
- O*NET skill ratings describe the work, not employer hiring demand.
- Values BLS did not publish, suppressed, or top-coded are shown as such and never treated as zero.