💳
Financial Services
JPMorgan Chase, Capital One, Fidelity
Information Security Analysts
Information security analysts protect systems by tightening access, watching for suspicious activity, and testing defenses before attackers find weak spots. What sets the work apart is the constant tradeoff between making security strong and keeping systems usable for the people who need them. The job rewards careful thinking, but it also means living with pressure, because one missed alert or bad configuration can expose sensitive data.
Also known as Cybersecurity AnalystSecurity AnalystInformation Security SpecialistCyber Defense AnalystSecurity Operations Analyst
Median Salary
$124,910
Mean $127,730
U.S. Workforce
~179K
16K openings per year
10-Year Growth
+28.5%
182.8K to 234.9K
Entry Education
Bachelor's degree
+ Less than 5 years experience
What This Role Looks Like in Practice
Information Security Analysts sits in the Technology category. In practical terms, this role combines day-to-day execution, cross-team coordination, and consistent decision-making under real business constraints.
U.S. employment is currently about ~179K workers, with a median annual pay of $124,910 and roughly 16K openings each year. Based on BLS projections, total employment is expected to grow from 182.8 K in 2024 to 234.9K in 2034.
Most hiring paths start with Bachelor's Degree, and employers typically expect less than 5 years of related experience. Many careers in this track begin around Junior Security Analyst and can progress toward Security Manager. High-value skills usually include Security Logs, Reports & Policy Review, SIEM Tools: Splunk, Microsoft Sentinel & QRadar, and Vulnerability Scanning: Nessus, Qualys & Rapid7, paired with soft skills such as Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, and Active Listening.
Core Responsibilities
- Talk with employees or clients about access problems, suspicious activity, and needed security changes.
- Set up and adjust protections like firewalls, encryption, and user access rules so data stays private.
- Watch security alerts, virus reports, and system logs to spot unusual behavior early.
- Test systems for weak points and check whether security controls are actually working.
Keep exploring: more Technology careers or browse all job titles.
A Day in the Life
01 Talk with employees or clients about access problems, suspicious activity, and needed security changes.
02 Set up and adjust protections like firewalls, encryption, and user access rules so data stays private.
03 Watch security alerts, virus reports, and system logs to spot unusual behavior early.
04 Test systems for weak points and check whether security controls are actually working.
05 Write and update security policies, emergency steps, and audit documentation.
06 Work with internal IT teams and outside vendors to roll out security fixes and access changes.
Industries That Hire
☁️
Cloud and Software
Microsoft, Amazon, Google
🏥
Healthcare
UnitedHealth Group, Kaiser Permanente, Mayo Clinic
🛡️
Consulting and Managed Security
Accenture, Deloitte, IBM
🏛️
Government and Defense
Booz Allen Hamilton, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon
Pros and Cons
Advantages
+
Pay is strong: the median annual wage is $124,910 and the mean is $127,730.
+
Demand is projected to grow 28.5% from 2024 to 2034, with about 16,000 openings a year.
+
The work is varied, mixing alert review, investigations, testing, and policy work instead of one repetitive task.
+
Typical entry is a bachelor's degree with less than 5 years of work experience and no on-the-job training requirement.
+
The skills transfer across industries because every employer needs help protecting accounts, devices, and data.
Challenges
-
The job can be tense because a missed alert or slow response can turn into a breach or data loss.
-
A lot of time goes into chasing approvals, access changes, and rule compliance, which can slow down the day.
-
Even though the role has no formal on-the-job training requirement, many employers still want prior security or IT experience before hiring.
-
Routine monitoring is being automated more often, so analysts who only watch dashboards may see their work become less valuable over time.
-
Career growth can flatten if you stay in pure analyst work; bigger raises often come from moving into engineering, architecture, or management.
Career Progression
Junior Security Analyst
0-2 years
$70K-$95K
Supports senior staff by reviewing alerts, checking access issues, and helping document incidents.
Information Security Analyst
2-5 years
$100K-$140K
Investigates suspicious activity, tunes defenses, and helps decide how to respond to security risks.
Senior Information Security Analyst THIS ROLE
5-8 years
$145K-$180K
Leads investigations, designs stronger controls, and mentors junior analysts during incidents and audits.
Security Architect
8-12 years
$185K-$225K
Builds the security design for systems and networks instead of just monitoring them after they are live.
Security Manager
12+ years
$230K-$280K
Runs teams, sets security priorities, and balances risk, cost, and business needs at the organizational level.
Education Paths
Bachelor's Degree
The most common entry point, held by 52.64% of workers in this role.
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate
A strong alternative route, held by 22.52% of workers, often used by people adding security training after another degree.
Associate's Degree
A smaller path, held by 12.87% of workers, usually paired with certifications or hands-on IT experience.
Cybersecurity Certificate or Bootcamp
A practical non-degree route if you can show labs, projects, and a credential such as Security+ or similar.
Key Skills
Technical
Security Logs, Reports & Policy Review 88%
SIEM Tools: Splunk, Microsoft Sentinel & QRadar 86%
Vulnerability Scanning: Nessus, Qualys & Rapid7 84%
Firewalls, IDS/IPS & Network Segmentation 82%
Identity and Access Management: Okta & Microsoft Entra ID 80%
Encryption, PKI & Data Loss Prevention 78%
Soft Skills
Reading ComprehensionCritical ThinkingActive ListeningComplex Problem SolvingSpeakingWriting Job Outlook and Trends
+28.5%
Projected growth (2024-2034)
16K
Annual job openings
Employment is projected to rise from 182.8K to 234.9 K over the next decade, representing 28.5% growth. Around 16 K openings per year include both newly created roles and replacement hiring from turnover.
Remote availability is currently High availability. Demand remains strongest where employers need practical domain knowledge plus modern workflow and data skills.