JobAfterNext

Information Security Engineers

Develop and oversee the implementation of information security procedures and policies. Build, maintain and upgrade security technology, such as firewalls, for the safe use of computer networks and the transmission and retrieval of information. Design and implement appropriate security controls to identify vulnerabilities and protect digital files and electronic infrastructures. Monitor and respond to computer security breaches, viruses, and intrusions, and perform forensic investigation. May oversee the assessment of information security systems.

Wages

BLS doesn't publish wages for Information Security Engineers separately. These are the figures for Computer Occupations, All Other (15-1299), its parent occupation.

Median annual wage, U.S.$116,580
Employment, U.S.435,370
Median hourly wage$56.05
Annual wage percentiles, U.S., May 2025
10th25thMedian75th90th
$55,940$79,370$116,580$157,500$188,470
By state (51)
StateEmploymentMedian annualLocation quotient
Alabama2,630$106,3300.44
Alaska710$105,9600.78
Arizona5,510$105,2400.61
Arkansas1,120$86,9400.31
California80,150$134,4401.57
Colorado11,800$139,5801.47
Connecticut3,100$127,7200.65
Delaware860$137,4700.63
District of Columbia17,200$156,5908.75
Florida13,710$105,3700.49
Georgia20,630$104,6101.51
Hawaii2,080$120,1001.18
Idaho1,040$98,7000.43
Illinois11,160$99,3600.65
Indiana3,340$93,5400.37
Iowa3,850$107,3400.88
Kansas1,340$103,3800.33
Kentucky1,850$89,4200.33
Louisiana5,020$77,0000.93
Maine900$107,9900.50
Maryland19,060$144,6802.46
Massachusetts6,170$109,5900.61
Michigan7,440$105,6800.60
Minnesota4,180$91,7500.51
Mississippi1,450$86,9400.45
Missouri14,340$101,0401.74
Montana540$81,9700.38
Nebraska2,280$92,4800.79
Nevada2,610$100,2200.60
New Hampshire970$91,7200.51
New Jersey12,010$108,3101.00
New Mexico1,650$127,0900.67
New York11,460$116,9900.42
North Carolina15,090$104,8501.09
North Dakota730$78,3300.60
Ohio6,150$109,7800.40
Oklahoma3,320$102,5200.69
Oregon2,450$97,3500.45
Pennsylvania14,580$107,2300.86
Rhode Island830$102,2100.59
South Carolina4,300$112,2600.67
South Dakota240$105,3700.18
Tennessee10,930$76,4701.19
Texas57,020$111,5301.45
Utah6,680$97,4701.37
Vermont1,320$111,5301.56
Virginia17,000$139,0301.48
Washington14,360$128,9401.44
West Virginia3,380$107,1401.72
Wisconsin4,680$88,1300.57
Wyoming170$94,5200.22

Similar occupations

Similarity is our measure: the cosine of importance x level over all 120 O*NET skills, knowledge areas and abilities. It is not an O*NET finding. More.

#OccupationJob ZoneSimilarity
1Information Security Analysts40.969
2Database Administrators40.967
3Blockchain Engineers40.966
4Data Warehousing Specialists40.964
5Penetration Testers40.963
6Database Architects40.961
7Digital Forensics Analysts40.960
8Computer Network Architects40.957
9Computer and Information Systems Managers40.956
10Computer Systems Engineers/Architects30.956

One skill away

Among the 50 occupations most similar to Information Security Engineers, those at the same Job Zone or lower, where exactly one skill rated at least 3 in importance needs a level more than 0.75 points higher (on O*NET's 0-7 level scale). Our definition. Change the thresholds.

OccupationSkill to buildLevel gapSimilarity
Information Security AnalystsQuality Control Analysis3.120.969
Penetration TestersQuality Control Analysis3.380.963
Software DevelopersTechnology Design3.620.951
Web AdministratorsQuality Control Analysis3.380.943
Business Intelligence AnalystsMathematics1.260.942
Logistics AnalystsMathematics1.130.930
Power Distributors and DispatchersOperation and Control3.120.912

Software to learn next

Software used by at least 3 of the 20 occupations most similar to Information Security Engineers, excluding software Information Security Engineers already lists and any you named. Ranked by how many of them use it, weighted by how much more common it is among them than across all occupations (lift). Our ranking.

SoftwareSimilar jobs using itLift
PostgreSQL16 of 2023.8x
Microsoft Visual Basic Scripting Edition VBScript16 of 2021.7x
Apache HTTP Server15 of 2024.7x
Oracle Solaris15 of 2024.7x
KornShell14 of 2030.8x
Relational database management software15 of 2023.1x
Hewlett Packard HP-UX14 of 2028.1x
Oracle WebLogic Server14 of 2025.8x
Unified modeling language UML14 of 2025.8x
Apache Solr14 of 2024.9x

Skills

From O*NET data. Importance is rated 1 to 5 and level 0 to 7.

SkillTypeImportanceLevel
Reading ComprehensionEssential skill 4.12 4.38
Critical ThinkingEssential skill 4.00 4.12
Active ListeningEssential skill 3.88 4.12
WritingEssential skill 3.62 4.12
MonitoringEssential skill 3.62 3.88
SpeakingEssential skill 3.50 4.12
Quality Control AnalysisTransferable skill 3.38not rated
Systems EvaluationTransferable skill 3.38 3.75
Systems AnalysisTransferable skill 3.38 3.62
Complex Problem SolvingTransferable skill 3.25 3.75
Active LearningEssential skill 3.25 3.62
Judgment and Decision MakingTransferable skill 3.25 3.50
InstructingTransferable skill 3.12 3.50
ProgrammingTransferable skill 3.12 3.38
Operations MonitoringTransferable skill 3.12 3.12
CoordinationTransferable skill 3.00 3.25
Social PerceptivenessTransferable skill 3.00 3.25
PersuasionTransferable skill 2.88 3.25
Learning StrategiesEssential skill 2.88 3.12
Time ManagementTransferable skill 2.88 2.75
NegotiationTransferable skill 2.75 3.00
Service OrientationTransferable skill 2.62 2.88
Management of Personnel ResourcesTransferable skill 2.62 2.62
TroubleshootingTransferable skill 2.50 2.50
Technology DesignTransferable skill 2.38not rated
MathematicsEssential skill 2.38 2.62
Operation and ControlTransferable skill 2.12not rated
Equipment SelectionTransferable skill 2.00not rated
Operations AnalysisTransferable skill 2.00not rated
Management of Financial ResourcesTransferable skill 2.00 1.75
Management of Material ResourcesTransferable skill 2.00 1.75
InstallationTransferable skill 1.88not rated
RepairingTransferable skill 1.88not rated
ScienceEssential skill 1.75not rated
Equipment MaintenanceTransferable skill 1.50not rated
Knowledge (33) and abilities (52)
Knowledge
NameImportanceLevel
Computers and Electronics 4.63 5.94
Engineering and Technology 4.00 4.56
English Language 3.53 3.63
Telecommunications 3.37 3.68
Customer and Personal Service 3.00 3.63
Design 2.89 3.42
Mathematics 2.84 3.26
Education and Training 2.79 3.53
Administration and Management 2.78 3.68
Communications and Media 2.50 2.06
Law and Government 2.47 2.32
Administrative 2.37 3.42
Public Safety and Security 2.16 1.79
Production and Processing 1.95 1.83
Psychology 1.89 1.53
Economics and Accounting 1.79 1.53
Personnel and Human Resources 1.74 1.68
Mechanical 1.74 1.21
Sociology and Anthropology 1.53 1.05
Building and Construction 1.53 1.00
Foreign Language 1.39not rated
Philosophy and Theology 1.37not rated
Transportation 1.32not rated
Geography 1.32 0.84
History and Archeology 1.26not rated
Sales and Marketing 1.26not rated
Therapy and Counseling 1.26not rated
Chemistry 1.21not rated
Physics 1.21not rated
Food Production 1.16not rated
Biology 1.05not rated
Fine Arts 1.05not rated
Medicine and Dentistry 1.05not rated
Abilities
NameImportanceLevel
Oral Comprehension 4.12 4.25
Written Comprehension 4.00 4.38
Oral Expression 4.00 4.12
Deductive Reasoning 3.75 4.12
Information Ordering 3.75 3.88
Speech Recognition 3.75 3.62
Inductive Reasoning 3.62 4.00
Problem Sensitivity 3.62 3.75
Near Vision 3.62 3.62
Written Expression 3.50 3.88
Speech Clarity 3.50 3.38
Flexibility of Closure 3.25 3.50
Selective Attention 3.25 3.25
Category Flexibility 3.12 3.50
Perceptual Speed 3.12 3.25
Fluency of Ideas 3.00 3.62
Originality 2.88 3.38
Far Vision 2.75 3.25
Memorization 2.75 2.88
Mathematical Reasoning 2.62 3.00
Number Facility 2.62 2.88
Visual Color Discrimination 2.62 2.38
Time Sharing 2.50 2.12
Visualization 2.38 2.62
Speed of Closure 2.38 2.38
Wrist-Finger Speed 2.00not rated
Auditory Attention 1.88 1.50
Trunk Strength 1.88 1.50
Hearing Sensitivity 1.75 1.38
Depth Perception 1.75 1.00
Arm-Hand Steadiness 1.50not rated
Finger Dexterity 1.50not rated
Dynamic Strength 1.50 0.75
Control Precision 1.38not rated
Manual Dexterity 1.38not rated
Extent Flexibility 1.25not rated
Gross Body Coordination 1.25not rated
Gross Body Equilibrium 1.25not rated
Multilimb Coordination 1.25not rated
Rate Control 1.25not rated
Reaction Time 1.25not rated
Response Orientation 1.25not rated
Stamina 1.25not rated
Static Strength 1.25not rated
Explosive Strength 1.12not rated
Spatial Orientation 1.12not rated
Dynamic Flexibility 1.00not rated
Glare Sensitivity 1.00not rated
Night Vision 1.00not rated
Peripheral Vision 1.00not rated
Sound Localization 1.00not rated
Speed of Limb Movement 1.00not rated

Software used

Examples from O*NET data. "Hot" and "in demand" are O*NET flags for technologies often listed in job postings.

All 90
  • JavaScript hot
  • JavaScript Object Notation JSON hot
  • Jenkins CI hot
  • Microsoft Access hot
  • Microsoft Excel hot
  • Microsoft Office software hot
  • Microsoft Outlook hot
  • Microsoft PowerPoint hot
  • Microsoft SQL Server hot
  • Microsoft SQL Server Integration Services SSIS hot
  • Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services SSRS hot
  • Microsoft SharePoint hot
  • Microsoft Teams hot
  • Microsoft Visio hot
  • Microsoft Windows hot
  • Microsoft Windows Server hot
  • MongoDB hot
  • NoSQL hot
  • PHP hot
  • Perl hot
  • Puppet hot
  • R hot
  • React hot
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux hot
  • Ruby hot
  • ServiceNow hot
  • Shell script hot
  • Structured query language SQL hot
  • UNIX hot
  • UNIX Shell hot
  • Active directory software
  • ArcSight Enterprise Threat and Risk Management
  • Collaborative editing software
  • Enterprise application integration EAI software
  • Geographic information system GIS systems
  • Google Cloud software
  • IBM Middleware
  • IBM QRadar SIEM
  • IBM Resource Access Control Facility RACF
  • IBM Tivoli software
  • Intrusion detection system IDS
  • Management information systems MIS
  • McAfee Enterprise Security Manager
  • Microsoft Azure Sentinel
  • Microsoft Defender Antivirus
  • Microsoft Security Esssentials
  • Network directory services software
  • Oracle Unified Directory
  • Platform as a service PaaS
  • RESTful API
  • Reporting software
  • Security assertion markup language SAML
  • Snort
  • Software libraries
  • Tanium software
  • Tcpdump
  • Tenable Nessus
  • Ubuntu
  • Web application software
  • Wireshark

Where it concentrates

BLS doesn't publish wages for Information Security Engineers separately. These are the figures for Computer Occupations, All Other (15-1299), its parent occupation.

Metro areas ranked by BLS location quotient: the occupation's share of the area's jobs divided by its share of all US jobs. Above 1 means more concentrated than the nation. Metros employing fewer than 100 are left out.

Metro areaEmploymentLocation quotientMedian annual
Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ5005.29$118,120
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA16,6805.25$184,430
Lexington Park, MD1,0005.05$144,680
Parkersburg-Vienna, WV3503.46$106,330
Warner Robins, GA6903.26$100,260
Elizabethtown, KY4503.14$106,330
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX10,1002.79$129,470
Fayetteville, NC9702.65$101,800
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA16,9302.55$161,700
Burlington-South Burlington, VT8402.51$121,850

More metros, other thresholds