What are the top 10 cities with the highest pay for Security Engineer?

We've identified 10 cities in the United States where Security Engineer jobs typically pay above the area average. Topping the list is Cupertino, CA (23.4% above average), followed by Berkeley, CA and Sitka, AK. City Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage Cupertino, CA $188,483 $15,706 $3,624 $90.62 Berkeley, CA $187,061 $15,588 $3,597 $89.93 Sitka, AK $184,043 $15,336 $3,539 $88.48 Wyoming, WY $182,201 $15,183 $3,503 $87.60 Snowmass Village, CO $181,163 $15,096 $3,483 $87.10 Santa Clara, CA $180,422 $15,035 $3,469 $86.74 Mountain View, CA $180,223 $15,018 $3,465 $86.65 Menlo Park, CA $180,037 $15,003 $3,462 $86.56 San Francisco, CA $179,993 $14,999 $3,461 $86.54 Palo Alto, CA $179,796 $14,983 $3,457 $86.44

Security Engineer

Security Engineer Salary

Q: How much does a Security Engineer make?

The average annual pay for a security engineer in the United States is $152,773 a year — that works out to approximately $73.45 an hour. The middle 80% of Security Engineers earn between $110,000 (10th percentile) and $205,000 (90th percentile) per year, depending on experience and employer.

Q: What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Security Engineer Jobs in the United States?

We found several jobs related to Security Engineer in the United States that pay more on average. Topping the list is Remote Cissp at $29,883 (19.6%) above Security Engineer. Job Title Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage Remote Cissp $122,890 $10,240 $2,363 $59.08 Vulnerability Assessment Analyst $108,489 $9,040 $2,086 $52.16 Independent Contractor Programmer $82,234 $6,852 $1,581 $39.54 Cyber Operations $56,226 $4,685 $1,081 $27.03 Nsa Security $38,415 $3,201 $738 $18.47

$61.5K

$143K

$205.5K

$152,773

/year

$73.45

/hour

Security Engineer Salary Comparison by Location

Nationwide

United States

$152,773

Columbus

Ohio

$147,563

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How much does a Security Engineer make?

As of Jul 19, 2026, the average annual pay for a Security Engineer in the United States is $152,773 a year.

Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $73.45 an hour. This is the equivalent of $2,937/week or $12,731/month.

While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $205,500 and as low as $61,500, the majority of Security Engineer salaries currently range between $143,000 (25th percentile) to $158,500 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $205,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Security Engineer varies greatly (by as much as 15500), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.

A Security Engineer in your area makes on average $147,563 per year, or $5,210 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $152,773. Ohio ranks number 31 out of 50 states nationwide for Security Engineer salaries.

To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Security Engineer jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.

Find your next high paying job as a Security Engineer on ZipRecruiter today.

What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Security Engineer Jobs

We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Security Engineer job is above the national average. Topping the list is Cupertino, CA, , with Berkeley, CA, and Sitka, AK, close behind in the second and third positions. Sitka, AK, beats the national average by $31,270 (20.5%), and Cupertino, CA, furthers that trend with another $35,710 (23.4%) above the $152,773 average.

With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Security Engineer appears to be exceedingly fruitful.

Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 4% between Cupertino, CA, and Palo Alto, CA, , reinforcing the limited potential for much wage advancement. The possibility of a lower cost of living may be the best factor to use when considering location and salary for a Security Engineer role.

City	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
Cupertino, CA	$188,483	$15,706	$3,624	$90.62
Berkeley, CA	$187,061	$15,588	$3,597	$89.93
Sitka, AK	$184,043	$15,336	$3,539	$88.48
Wyoming, WY	$182,201	$15,183	$3,503	$87.60
Snowmass Village, CO	$181,163	$15,096	$3,483	$87.10
Santa Clara, CA	$180,422	$15,035	$3,469	$86.74
Mountain View, CA	$180,223	$15,018	$3,465	$86.65
Menlo Park, CA	$180,037	$15,003	$3,462	$86.56
San Francisco, CA	$179,993	$14,999	$3,461	$86.54
Palo Alto, CA	$179,796	$14,983	$3,457	$86.44

What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Security Engineer Jobs in the U.S.

Analyzing some similar jobs related to the Security Engineer job category, we found that Remote Cissp jobs have average salaries similar than Security Engineer jobs.

Job Title	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
Remote Cissp	$122,890	$10,240	$2,363	$59.08
Vulnerability Assessment Analyst	$108,489	$9,040	$2,086	$52.16
Independent Contractor Programmer	$82,234	$6,852	$1,581	$39.54
Cyber Operations	$56,226	$4,685	$1,081	$27.03
Nsa Security	$38,415	$3,201	$738	$18.47

About Our Data

ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.

Infographic detailing Security Engineer salary across the United States as of July 2026. Displays a bar chart with salary percentiles, a national average salary of $152,773 per year or $73.45 an hour, and a color-coded map showing state-by-state salary variations.

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