Ethical Hacker Salary (2026): What You'll Make and Why

Key takeaways

• According to Glassdoor, an ethical hacker's salary can reach a median total of $174,000 per year [1].

• According to Payscale, a certified ethical hacker’s salary can be $96,490 [2].

• Penetration tester, a role losely related to ethical hacker, earns a median total salary of $155,000, according to Glassdoor [3].

According to Salary.com, ethical hackers get paid an average annual salary of $105,641 [4]. Discover more about an ethical hacker’s salary and the factors that may influence it. If you’re ready to sharpen your ethical hacking skills, enroll in the IBM Ethical Hacking with Open Source Tools Professional Certificate. In as little as two months, you can learn about vulnerability scanning, penetration testing, threat management, incident response, and more.

How much is the salary of an ethical hacker?

The median total ethical hacker salary in the United States is $174,000, according to Glassdoor [1]. This figure includes base salary and additional pay, which may represent profit-sharing, commissions, bonuses, or other compensation. How much you earn will depend on several factors, including your level of experience, education, industry, company, location, and whether you have relevant certifications. Average US base salaries for ethical hackers, as of July 2026, are as follows [1, 5, 4, 6]:

Salary aggregate websites often rely on data submitted by individuals using the site. Some websites may have received larger amounts of higher- or lower-than-average salaries, affecting the site’s calculated average.

What is an ethical hacker?

An ethical hacker, or white hat hacker, performs simulated attacks on an organization’s network so that it can build defenses against malicious hackers. They possess a deep understanding of cutting-edge hacking techniques and help organizations boost their security against cyberattacks. Since today’s organizations have a vast amount of data stored within their networks and in the cloud, they require the skilled work of ethical hackers to improve their cybersecurity and identify and resolve any vulnerabilities.

Read more: 10 Common Types of Cyberattacks and How to Prevent Them

Common factors that impact an ethical hacker salary

The wide pay range for an ethical hacker suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on certifications, skill level, education, location, experience, and expertise.

Experience

One of the most impactful factors in determining your salary potential is experience. Ethical hackers may receive a bump in pay every year they’re employed. For example, consider the annual median total pay by years of experience in the US, according to Glassdoor [1]:

• 0–1 year of experience: $118,000

• 1–3 years of experience: $141,000

• 4–6 years of experience: $168,000

• 7–9 years of experience: $198,000

All salary information represents the median total pay from Glassdoor as of July 2026. These figures include base salary and additional pay, which may represent profit-sharing, commissions, bonuses, or other compensation.

Education

Generally speaking, more education tends to correlate with higher salaries. In penetration and vulnerability testing, 54 percent of job listings request at least a bachelor's degree [7]. While this ultimately depends on the company and your unique circumstances, having a graduate degree could lead to a higher-paying ethical hacking salary.

Certifications

Earning a certification in ethical hacking or cybersecurity can validate your skills to potential employers, which could translate to an increase in pay. According to Payscale, those with a Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) credential earn an average base pay of $96,490 [2].

Salaries for other cybersecurity professionals

Pursuing a career in cybersecurity could lead to a range of career paths and roles. Here are a few different job titles to consider, along with their median total salaries in the US, according to Glassdoor (July 2026):

• Computer forensic analyst: $151,000 [8]

• Cryptography analyst: $127,000 [9]

• Cybersecurity analyst: $128,000 [10]

• Penetration tester: $155,000 [2]

• Cybersecurity consultant: $152,000 [11]

• Security engineer: $172,000 [12]

All salary information represents the median total pay from Glassdoor as of July 2026. These figures include base salary and additional pay, which may represent profit-sharing, commissions, bonuses, or other compensation.

Explore cybersecurity with our free resources

Subscribe to our weekly LinkedIn newsletter, Career Chat, for industry updates, tips, and trends. Then, explore free resources related to ethical hacking to optimize your professional growth:

• Watch on YouTube: Red Team Roles Explained for Beginners

• Read our Career Chat issue: How AI Is Changing Cybercrime and Cybersecurity

• Explore a career path: Ethical Hacking Learning Roadmap: From Beginner to Expert

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