This is how much the average CISO makes in the US - and why it's so much

It's all about where you work and how much you earn in the first place

News By Luke Hughes published 4 October 2024

New data has suggested Chief Information Security Officers (CISOS) in the US and Canada have seen their salaries rise to $565,000 ($426,000) on average.

The findings come from the fifth annual survey from IANS Research, which also suggests that the best way to boost your salary as a CISO is to switch jobs or issue your employer with an ultimatum.

Going this route supposedly brings a 31% increase in average compensation, while sticking it out in a job you perform well in brings an increase of just 6.3%.

Training and AI

Per the IANS report, CISO turnover has almost halved since 2022, with Nick Kakolowski, IANS’ chief research director, suggesting workers are happy to wait for stability and their companies to come through with raises or even other non-cash incentives, like equity.

He also stressed that geography plays an important role in raising this average. The survey shows that Californian CISOS are more likely to be higher paid and being granted equity. Better paid CISOs are also getting richer, with 23% of the top 10% in the role reporting a pay rise of 20%, while, of the lowest paid, two-thirds reported that their pay had risen by less than 5%, if at all.

Kakolowski also cited North Carolina’s financial services, the biotech sector, and Texas’ own growing status as a tech center. The North East is the next most lucrative place to work behind California, while Canadian CISOs earn the least.

Via The Register

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