CISSP salary: what ISC2’s own research shows

Average CISSP salary: the official ISC2 figures

When people ask for the average CISSP salary, the most reliable answer comes from the issuer. ISC2 reports a median rather than an average, taken from survey responses in its Cybersecurity Workforce Study. A median is the middle value — half of respondents earn more, half less — so a few very high salaries do not distort it the way they would an average.

ISC2 states the following median CISSP salaries in US dollars:

• Globally — $127,000
• North America — $150,000
• Europe — $106,200
• Asia-Pacific — $70,000

Source: ISC2 — What is the average CISSP salary?. Checked 9 October 2026.

How to read a CISSP certification salary figure

ISC2 is explicit that these are not guaranteed salaries for CISSP holders. It names the factors that drive pay: country and region, industry, experience and seniority, individual performance, the employer’s compensation practices, and other credentials the person holds. It also only reports a median where a region has at least 50 valid survey responses.

So a CISSP cert salary figure describes people who hold the certification, not what the certificate adds on its own. CISSP holders have at least five years of paid security experience by definition, and many of them are in senior roles — part of what the median reflects is that experience.

Source: ISC2 — What is the average CISSP salary?. Checked 9 October 2026.

CISSP salary range by region

The four ISC2 medians span from US$70,000 in Asia-Pacific to US$150,000 in North America. That is a range of regional middle values, not the CISSP salary range of individual jobs: within each region, actual pay will sit both well above and well below the median. ISC2 does not publish percentiles or minimum and maximum figures, so we do not state any.

If you need a range for a specific role and country, use local job ads and salary data for that title, and treat the ISC2 figure for your region as a reference point rather than a target.

Source: ISC2 — What is the average CISSP salary?. Checked 9 October 2026.

CISSP salary in 2025 and later

ISC2 attributes its figures to the “latest” Cybersecurity Workforce Study but does not print the survey year next to the table. We therefore cannot label them as a CISSP salary 2025 figure, and pages that do should tell you which survey they are quoting. Checked on 9 October 2026.

Source: ISC2 — What is the average CISSP salary?. Checked 9 October 2026.

Is there a CISSP salary at entry level?

Strictly, no. CISSP is not an entry-level certification: ISC2 requires five years of cumulative paid work experience before it grants the credential. So a CISSP salary entry level search usually describes one of two situations.

The first is someone who passed the exam without the experience. ISC2 then makes them an Associate of ISC2 until they can document the years — the certification itself is not granted yet. The second is someone newly certified after five years in the field, which is a mid-career position, not an entry-level one. ISC2 publishes no separate salary figure for either group.

Source: ISC2 — CISSP certification. Checked 24 September 2026.

CISSP job salary: roles rather than certificates

ISC2 describes CISSP holders as qualified to lead an organisation’s information security programme. In job ads, CISSP is typically asked for in senior security engineering, architecture, management and consulting roles. The CISSP job salary you can expect depends on which of those roles you hold and where — the certification is often a requirement to be considered rather than a separate pay component.

Remember the running cost when you calculate the return: ISC2 charges an annual maintenance fee of US$135 for CISSP holders, and keeping the credential requires 120 CPE credits per three-year cycle.

Source: ISC2 — Annual maintenance fees. Checked 24 September 2026.

CISSP-ISSEP salary

ISSEP — Information Systems Security Engineering Professional — is an ISC2 concentration that builds on CISSP. ISC2 lists its required work experience as “CISSP + 2 Years or 7 years cumulative”.

ISC2 does not show a separate CISSP-ISSEP salary on its ISSEP page, and we do not quote unofficial figures. Because holders already meet the CISSP bar plus additional engineering experience, the CISSP medians above are the closest official reference.

Source: ISC2 — ISSEP certification. Checked 9 October 2026.

CISSP vs CISM salary

A CISSP vs CISM salary comparison is harder than it looks. CISSP is ISC2’s certification; CISM is ISACA’s. Each issuer’s salary figures, where they exist, come from its own survey with its own respondents and method, so placing one number next to the other is not a like-for-like comparison.

More useful is to look at the jobs: CISM is aimed at security management, CISSP spans management, architecture and engineering. Many senior security professionals hold both. Pick the one the roles you want actually ask for.

CISSP salary & career value: questions people ask

What is the average CISSP salary?

ISC2 reports a global median of US$127,000 for CISSP holders, based on its Cybersecurity Workforce Study. Source: ISC2, checked 9 October 2026.

What is the CISSP salary in North America?

ISC2 reports a median of US$150,000 in North America. Source: ISC2, checked 9 October 2026.

What is the CISSP salary in Europe?

ISC2 reports a median of US$106,200 in Europe. Source: ISC2, checked 9 October 2026.

Does the CISSP guarantee a salary increase?

No. ISC2 states its figures are not guaranteed salaries and that pay depends on country, industry, experience, seniority, performance, employer practices and other credentials.

Can I get a CISSP at entry level?

Not as a full certification. ISC2 requires five years of cumulative paid work experience. If you pass the exam without it, you become an Associate of ISC2 until you can document the experience.