West Coast Cybersecurity Salaries Outshine Rest of Country

Cyber professionals working across the US West Coast are the highest paid in North America with an average base salary of $200,000 per annum.

This marks a huge $49,000 difference compared to the next highest earning region in North America.

This is according to IANS and Artico’s 2025 Cybersecurity Staff Compensation Benchmark Report, which surveyed 525 cybersecurity staff across the US and Canada.

The overall average cash compensation for cybersecurity professionals working on the West Coast is $224,000 per annum. This includes all payments from their employer, such as overtime and bonuses.

The next highest region for salaries in North America is Northeast US, which has an average base salary of $151,000 and average overall cash compensation of $173,000.

Cybersecurity salaries in Canada are far lower than in the US generally, with an average base salary of $90,000 across the country.

The researchers noted that the higher salaries in the West of the US are linked to the higher cost of living in many West coast cities. In addition, there is a large concentration of big tech companies in this area, who typically offer premium pay to attract experienced cybersecurity professionals.

The report also identified major salary differences between cybersecurity job functions.

Among management positions, functional department heads command an average base salary of $234,000 and annual cash compensation of $283,000.

Infosecurity managers receive an average base salary of $174,000, and cash compensation of $195,000.

Team leaders receive $145,000 basic on average per annum, and $162,000 overall cash compensation.

Outside of management positions, the following cybersecurity roles command the highest average salaries:

• Security architect ($179,000 base, $206,000 overall)
• Security engineer ($168,000 base, $191,000 overall)
• Risk/GRC specialist ($146,000 base, $179,000 overall)
• Security analyst ($124,000 base, $133,000 overall)

These figures highlight the increases in pay for cybersecurity professionals as their experience and proficiency levels grow.

The study found that the median cash compensation rose by approximately 40% with each successive proficiency level.

Dissatisfaction With Career Progression Opportunities

Less than 40% of cybersecurity staff reported being satisfied with their career advancement opportunities, with 45% expressing dissatisfaction.

The report also found that 28% gave a low net promotor score (NPS) when asked if they would recommend their current workplace to others (6 or lower). Around a third (33%) gave a high NPS of 9 or 10, meaning they are promotors of their workplace.

Such concerns mean some cybersecurity professionals are considering changing their employer over the next 12 months. Over half (53%) of functional department heads said they are contemplating a change, followed by 46% of middle management and 40% of functional staff.

The researchers noted that these findings indicate that many managers and leaders are outgrowing the roles that their organization can offer, increasing the risk of attrition.

Steve Martano, IANS Faculty member and Partner at Artico, urged organizations to actively plan for this issue to avoid high turnover of senior staff.

“Let high performers know what may be next for them and give them a voice to advocate for what challenge they may wish to take on next. If there’s simply no room for growth, the best CISOs advocate for their high performers in the market so they can land a great job elsewhere and continue to serve as a sounding board for their former boss and advocate for their previous company in a positive way,” he advised.