Technology

Information Security Analyst in the United States

221 postings read · sampled 2026-08-02 · source ats

What employers actually ask for

Credentials named in the 221 postings we read, ranked by how many mentioned each one.

CISSPISC2
7%
15 of 221 postings$749 exam · fee checked 2026-08~300 hrs prepISC2 →
OSCPOffSec
6%
13 of 221 postings$1,749 exam · fee checked 2026-08~400 hrs prepOffSec →

What it costs

Exam and application fees plus typical self-study hours. Almost nobody needs every credential on this list — start with the top line.

Most-asked-for, on its own

$749CISSP · ~300 hrs

asked for in 15 of 221 postings — 7%

If you earned all 2 of them

$2,498

fees checked 2026-08

700 hrs

700 hours — over a year at 10 hrs/wk

Lower signal for this role

Credentials that barely appeared in this sample. That is not a claim they are worthless — plenty are valuable for a different job, a different city, or a promotion later. It is a claim that employers here mostly did not ask.

AWS SAAAmazon Web Services
0%
1 of 221 postings$150 exam · fee checked 2026-08~120 hrs prepAmazon Web Services →
CCNACisco
0%
1 of 221 postings$300 exam · fee checked 2026-08~150 hrs prepCisco →
Security+CompTIA
1%
2 of 221 postings$404 exam · fee checked 2026-08~110 hrs prepCompTIA →
CEHEC-Council
2%
4 of 221 postings$1,199 exam · fee checked 2026-08~160 hrs prepEC-Council →
CKALinux Foundation / CNCF
0%
1 of 221 postings$445 exam · fee checked 2026-08~120 hrs prepLinux Foundation / CNCF →
CISMISACA
1%
2 of 221 postings$760 exam · fee checked 2026-08~200 hrs prepISACA →
Master's DegreeAccredited institution
1%
2 of 221 postingsAccredited institution →
TS/SCIU.S. Government (DCSA)
2%
4 of 221 postingsU.S. Government (DCSA) →
Bachelor's DegreeAccredited institution
3%
7 of 221 postingsAccredited institution →

What it pays

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. A different survey from the postings above, so the two do not share a sample.

$75,090

10th percentile

$129,180

median

$199,850

90th percentile

Every credential above costs $2,498 — about 5 days' pay at the median.

Who was hiring

Employers with at least one matching posting in this sample.

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