A Tech Workers Guide to the US Cybersecurity Jobs Market

This is a guide to finding the best cybersecurity jobs in the US

Cybersecurity professionals examine, test, analyze, and secure an organization’s Internet security infrastructure. This includes developing security apps, testing hardware and software for vulnerabilities, monitoring network activity for threats, and managing recovery efforts after an attack has occurred.

At the moment, Cybersecurity is one of the most appealing career paths available to US technologists as companies compete for the best talent.

The Cybersecurity market has been growing at a steady rate over the past decade and the Covid-19 pandemic further intensified the need for skilled cybersecurity professionals.

The demand for cybersecurity specialists shows no sign of slowing down, with technologists in this field benefitting from a 0% unemployment rate.

This is why we have put together this helpful guide to the US Cybersecurity job.

Here are some of the things we’ll be covering in this guide.

1. The Cybersecurity market at a glance

The number of business-disrupting malware attacks has nearly doubled in the last years of pandemic, with over 60% of organizations worldwide experiencing at least partial disruption to their operations due to cyberattacks.

Cybersecurity remains one of the biggest concerns among corporate boards. In 2021 cybercrime was estimated to have caused over $6 trillion in damages.

Consequently, global spending on information security grew from $101.5bn in 2017 to an estimated $150.4bn in 2021, with investments heavily concentrated in security services, infrastructure protection and network security equipment.

The rise of big data is yet another major factor driving market growth.

The rapid emergence of technologies such as the Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence and Cloud Computing means that organizations are increasingly dependent on vast amounts of data that are vulnerable to cyberattacks.

Hence the growing need for cybersecurity professionals across a wide spectrum of private and public organizations.

The US is no exception: the country is currently facing a shortage of nearly 500,000 trained cybersecurity professionals.

Demand is hot!

2. The Cybersecurity job market: demand & supply

Last year, 3.5 million cybersecurity positions went unfilled worldwide, while over 60% of cybersecurity professionals believe that their company’s cybersecurity team is understaffed.

At the moment, the demand for cybersecurity professionals is so high that there is a 0% unemployment rate in the field.

Taking these numbers into account, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics expects the employment rate of information security analysts to grow by 31% between 2019 and 2029.

In the same time period, information security analysts are expected to be employed in computer systems design and related services at a 56% growth rate.

The greatest share of the Cybersecurity market is concentrated in three sectors: Finance & Banking, Healthcare and Aerospace Defense.

Defense is the most proactive sector as companies such as BAE Systems PLC and General Dynamics Corporation have been busy developing network security solutions and software to prevent cyber-attacks on military software systems.

The top employers in the market include the likes of:

• AVG Technologies NV
• Check Point Software Technologies
• Cisco Systems Inc
• CyberArk Software Ltd
• Dell Technologies Inc
• FireEye Inc
• Fortinet Inc, Imperva Inc
• IBM Corporation
• Intel Security
• Trend Micro Inc

3. The most in-demand Cybersecurity job titles & skills

There are countless roles available in Cybersecurity. 

Depending on your experience, you may want to consider the following positions:

• Entry-level: Systems Administrator, Network Engineer, Network Administrator, Security Administrator
• Mid-level: Cybersecurity Analyst, Penetration Tester, Security Technician, IT Auditor
• Senior-level: Cybersecurity Manager, Cybersecurity Engineer, Chief Information Security Officer

These are the 25 highest-paying Cybersecurity job titles by annual median salary:

• Chief Information Security Officer: $159,877
• IT Security Architect: $153,439
• Cloud Security Architect: $149,676
• Application Security Engineer: $136,209
• Information Security Manager (or Director): $126,991
• Ethical/White Hat Hacker: $119,289
• Cybersecurity Software Developer (or Engineer): $119,072
• Penetration Tester / Source Code Auditor: $116,323
• Data Privacy Officer: $114,638
• Cyber Threat Analyst: $111,432
• Cyber Incident Responder: $110,972
• Data Security Analyst: $108,065
• Security Auditor: $105,635
• Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) Analyst: $105,100
• Infrastructure Analyst: $102,919
• Digital/Computer Forensics Analyst: $100,063
• Information Cyber Security Analyst: $99,815
• IT/Cyber Security Administrator: $91,661
• Information Assurance Analyst: $90,471
• Malware Analyst: $90,383
• Security Operations Center (SOC) Manager: $89,020
• Security Operations Center (SOC) Analyst: $85,466
• Network Security Administrator: $81,278
• Disaster Recovery Specialist: $81,252”

Although there is no definitive answer to the question of what skills a Cybersecurity professional must have, there are three key skills that any Cybersecurity professionals should definitely have:

• Security Incident Management. This is the ability to respond to different forms of security incidents, ranging from malware and ransomware to phishing and DDoS attacks.
  
• Operating System Expertise. Cybersecurity professionals need to be familiar with several operating systems, including Linus and Windows. They also need to have a grasp of programming languages such as Java and C/C++, as well as scripting languages like Python, Perl and PHP.
  
• Data Management and Analysis. Not only are big data establishments in urgent need of Cybersecurity positions but Cybersecurity itself produces and consumes massive amounts of data. Be prepared to develop your data management and data analytics skills.

To kickstart a career in Cybersecurity, a good place to start is an associate degree or bachelor’s degree in Cybersecurity.

Some of the top schools offering Cybersecurity programs include:

• Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburg, PA);
• Georgia Insitute of Technology (Atlanta, GA);
• MIT (Cambridge, MA);
• University of California – Berkeley (Berkeley, CA);
• Stanford University (Stanford, CA);
• The University of Illinois (Champaign, IL).
  

Although many more US universities also have specialized Cybersecurity programs, a Computer Science degree is also an option.

Many Cybersecurity positions require that the applicant have at least one certification. These are some of the most popular ones among Cybersecurity technicians:

• Certified Ethical Hacker;
• Certified Information Systems Security Professionals (CISSP);
• Certified Information Systems Auditor; Network+; Security+;
• Licensed Penetration Tester (LPT).

4. Where to find the top Cybersecurity jobs

According to Comparitech, Virginia is the best state for Cybersecurity jobs, followed by Texas, New York and California.

The state of Virginia has the nation’s largest base of Cybersecurity professionals and the highest employment rate, with tech workers employed in Cybersecurity here earning an average annual salary of $114,760.

One of the top Cybersecurity cities is Washington DC, which last year saw 72,000 job openings in this field.

Other attractive locations for Cybersecurity include Denver,  Austin and, unsurprisingly, the San Francisco Bay Area.

Picking out the right city for your job hunt is no easy task, which is why you may want to check out our 2022 Definitive Guide to the US Top Tech Hubs.

This detailed and comprehensive study of the nation’s top tech hubs contains exhaustive information about the local tech scene, including the latest available data about:

• Market composition
• Top employers
• Job openings
• Salary levels
• Quality of life

See you there.

We hope you’ve found this article useful as you continue to pursue your cloud computing career.

We are niche technology recruitment specialists matching diverse and innovative technology teams with the most sought after, hard-to-reach, talent.

If you would like to find out more about working with us, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

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About the author

Ruggero Galtarossa is a PHD Researcher with a background in Journalism and Sociology. He studied at Cambridge University, England, and has worked as a content creator for Incubeta, an international team of experts in marketing, technology, data, and creative. He currently works as PHD Researcher and technology writer.