Security Jobs: What Postings Say About Pay and Hiring Today

What do security jobs pay?

Security jobs on our site offer a wide range of posted starting rates depending on the type of role. For postings listing hourly pay, the median starting rate is $20.00 an hour, with the middle half of postings starting between $17.00 an hour and $23.90 an hour. Postings with annual compensation show a median starting salary of $130,000 a year, with the middle half of these starting between $101,800 a year and $152,700 a year.

Olive first saw 434 new security postings in the last 30 days. The weekly count fell from about 390 to about 130 in the week of October 5, 2026, and a one-week step that size points to a change in how Olive takes in postings, not in hiring for security jobs, so this page doesn't read a trend from it.

Who is hiring security jobs?

Large professional services firms and major entertainment, retail, and technology organizations are the primary employers posting security jobs. Accenture has the most active roles with 117 postings, followed by EY with 71 postings. Entertainment coordinator Live Nation has 70 open postings.

Technology giant Amazon is also hiring, with 68 listings, and the retail chain Burlington has 43 open security jobs.

How to get hired for security jobs

Many of these listings require a significant amount of professional background. The median minimum experience required is 5 years, and 53% of postings that specify educational requirements ask for a bachelor's degree or higher. Only 13% of the roles are marked as entry level. A valid driver's license is requested in 7% of postings.

Technical expertise is highly valued. Specifically, 6% of open security jobs require experience with cloud security, while 5% require proficiency in Python.

• Obtain a valid driver's license to meet the basic transport and access standards listed in many postings.
• Develop technical competencies in cloud security and programming languages like Python to qualify for high-paying roles.

Interview questions for security jobs

During your interview, employers will evaluate your technical expertise, problem-solving skills, and reaction to incidents. Be prepared to discuss past projects, toolsets, and professional scenarios.

• Can you describe a situation where you discovered a vulnerability in a deployed environment, and how did you resolve it?
• Tell me about a time you had to explain a complex risk to a stakeholder who did not have a technical background.
• How do you automate routine monitoring tasks, and what scripts have you written to manage this?
• Describe a time when you detected unauthorized access. What immediate steps did you take to isolate the incident?

Where are security jobs located?

The state with the highest volume of listings is California with 232 postings, followed by New York with 161 and Texas with 113. Virginia and Washington also have high numbers with 83 and 72 postings respectively.

At the city level, San Francisco, CA leads with 56 postings, while New York, NY has 49 and Atlanta, GA has 25 jobs. Work-from-home options are limited, with only 2% of postings offering fully remote work and 9% offering hybrid work.

Questions people ask

What do security jobs pay?

The median starting annual salary for security jobs is $130,000 a year. For positions paid by the hour, the median starting rate is $20.00 an hour.

Who hires security jobs?

Top employers include Accenture, which currently has 117 active listings, followed by EY with 71 listings and Live Nation with 70.

Do security jobs offer remote work?

Remote opportunities are quite rare in this field. Only 2% of active listings are open to remote arrangements, while 9% are listed as hybrid.

Where are the most security jobs located?

California has the most listings with 232 postings, and San Francisco, CA is the top metro area with 56 jobs.