A CompTIA Security+ holder earns a median base salary around $85,000—but the range runs from $62,000 at a regional MSP to $115,000 at a federal contractor. Which end you land on depends less on the cert itself and more on what you pair it with. This guide breaks down CompTIA salaries by certification tier, explains what actually moves the needle, and points you toward the prep courses worth your time.
CompTIA Salary Ranges by Certification Level
CompTIA's certifications stack into roughly four tiers. Each tier corresponds to a different job family, and the salary ranges reflect that—not just seniority.
A+ (Core 1 & Core 2): $38,000–$58,000
A+ is the entry point into IT support. Roles that list A+ as a requirement—help desk technician, desktop support analyst, field technician—cluster between $38,000 and $58,000 nationally, with metro markets pushing toward the top of that range. The cert signals foundational hardware, OS, and troubleshooting competence. It won't get you a $75k offer on its own, but it's a real credential for people who don't have a degree and need something tangible to put on a resume.
Network+: $55,000–$78,000
Network+ aligns with network administrator and junior network engineer roles. Most people who hold Network+ also hold A+, and the combined credential set is a common baseline for entry-level NOC (network operations center) positions. Mid-range salaries here sit around $65,000. Government and defense contractors frequently list Network+ as a DoD 8570 requirement, which creates strong demand in that sector and pushes salaries toward $70,000–$78,000 even at junior levels.
Security+: $75,000–$105,000
Security+ is the certification with the clearest salary jump relative to the exam difficulty. It's the most widely held CompTIA cert among employed professionals, and it meets DoD 8570 IAT Level II requirements—a hard prerequisite for a large portion of government cybersecurity work. Roles that commonly require or prefer Security+ include security analyst, SOC analyst (Tier 1 and 2), IT auditor, and systems security engineer. The $85,000 median reflects mid-market private sector. Add a DoD clearance and the number regularly hits $95,000–$105,000.
CySA+ and PenTest+: $85,000–$115,000
These are intermediate certifications aimed at people already working in security. CySA+ targets threat detection and incident response—it's built for analysts who want to demonstrate they can read logs, triage alerts, and write incident reports, not just pass a multiple-choice exam. PenTest+ is aimed at offensive security practitioners but is often considered less rigorous than the OSCP, so it's most valuable as a complement to hands-on experience, not a standalone credential. Salaries in this tier reflect that: the cert alone doesn't move the number much unless it's paired with 2–3 years of relevant work.
SecurityX (CAS-005): $100,000–$135,000
Formerly CASP+, SecurityX is CompTIA's expert-level credential. It targets enterprise security architects, senior security engineers, and security program managers. Unlike most CompTIA exams, SecurityX is performance-based in part—you're expected to demonstrate applied knowledge, not just recall definitions. The salary range here assumes 5+ years of experience. If you're holding SecurityX and have relevant experience, $120,000+ is realistic in major metro areas or federal contracting.
What Actually Determines Your CompTIA Salary
The cert tier explains the job family you qualify for. Everything else—where you actually land within that range—comes down to a handful of factors that don't appear on the CompTIA website.
DoD Clearance and Government Work
The Department of Defense 8570 directive (now updated to 8140) mandates specific certification baselines for anyone with privileged access to DoD systems. Network+, Security+, CySA+, and SecurityX all appear on that list. This creates a structural salary floor in the government/defense sector that doesn't exist in private industry. A cleared Security+ holder in the DC metro area earns substantially more than the national median—often $90,000–$110,000 for roles that would pay $70,000–$80,000 in the commercial sector.
Stack Depth
Holding a single CompTIA cert rarely maximizes earning potential. The professionals earning at the top of each range typically hold two or three relevant credentials and have demonstrable hands-on skills. A Security+ holder who also knows Splunk, has a cloud cert (AWS or Azure), and can write basic Python scripts is a different candidate than one who passed the exam last month with a boot camp. Employers know this, and so do recruiters.
Geography and Sector
A Network+ holder in San Jose earns significantly more than one in Tulsa, even in equivalent roles. Beyond geography, the sector matters: healthcare IT, financial services, and federal contracting all pay above general market rates for the same certifications. If CompTIA salary optimization is the goal, targeting any of those three sectors is more leveraged than collecting additional certs.
Experience vs. Certification
CompTIA certs are credential-based validation—they prove you know the material, not that you've done the work. At entry level (A+, Network+), a cert can substitute for experience because the roles are genuinely entry-level. At the Security+ tier and above, hiring managers increasingly want to see both. Two years of hands-on security work plus Security+ beats Security+ alone in most cases.
CompTIA Salary Compared to Other Cert Paths
Context matters. CompTIA certs are vendor-neutral, which is their main advantage—they don't expire as quickly as vendor-specific certs and they transfer across environments. But salary comparison to other paths is worth considering.
- AWS Certified Solutions Architect (Associate): Median around $130,000. Significantly higher than Security+ territory, but aimed at a different role family (cloud architecture vs. security operations).
- CISSP: Median around $120,000–$140,000, but requires five years of verified work experience to certify. Not a beginner path.
- OSCP: No published median, but penetration testers with OSCP routinely command $100,000–$130,000. More technically demanding than PenTest+ and more respected in offensive security circles.
- Google/Microsoft cloud certs: Comparable to AWS. Generally higher ceiling than CompTIA for people who go deep into a specific cloud platform.
The honest takeaway: CompTIA certs offer a reliable on-ramp and are genuinely respected in mid-market IT and government work. For pure salary ceiling, cloud and advanced security certs eventually outperform them—but they require more experience to obtain and don't serve as entry points.
Top CompTIA Courses Worth Your Time
These are the courses that consistently produce prepared candidates—not just ones who watched video lectures but people who actually pass on the first attempt.
CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701) Exam Prep 2026 - For Beginners
This Udemy course covers the current SY0-701 exam objectives in a format designed for people without a prior security background. It's worth choosing over generic Security+ courses because the domain weighting matches the current exam blueprint, and the practice questions reflect the updated threat intelligence and automation topics added in the 701 revision.
CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701) 1,000+ Practice Questions 2026
Practice question volume matters more than most people expect on Security+. This collection is structured by domain, so you can diagnose which areas are weak before the exam rather than discovering gaps on test day. Pair this with a content course rather than using it alone.
CompTIA A+ Core 1 (220-1201) Full Course & Practice Exam
The A+ exam splits across two tests (Core 1 and Core 2), and most people underestimate Core 1's hardware depth. This course covers the new 1201 objectives with enough practice exam content to benchmark your readiness before scheduling. Solid starting point for anyone entering IT support without prior formal training.
CompTIA SecAI+ Fundamentals: AI Cybersecurity Basics CY0-001
CompTIA's newest certification covers AI security—a domain that's appearing in more job descriptions as organizations deploy AI tools and need staff who understand the associated risks. This course is an early-mover option for practitioners who want to differentiate beyond the standard Security+/CySA+ stack and get ahead of what will likely become a more common job requirement.
CompTIA SecurityX (CAS-005) 6 Practice Exams
SecurityX's performance-based questions require applied thinking rather than recall, and practice exams are the most efficient way to prepare for that format. Six full exams gives you enough repetition to develop the pacing and reasoning patterns the test rewards—particularly useful if you have the experience but haven't sat a high-stakes exam recently.
FAQ
What is the average CompTIA salary?
There's no single "CompTIA salary" because it depends heavily on which certification you hold and what role you're in. A+ holders typically earn $38,000–$58,000 in help desk roles. Security+ holders earn $75,000–$105,000 in security analyst positions. SecurityX holders with experience can reach $100,000–$135,000. Government and defense roles consistently pay at or above the top of each range.
Does CompTIA Security+ increase your salary?
Yes, often significantly—especially if you're transitioning from a general IT role into a security-focused one. Security+ is a DoD 8570 baseline requirement, which creates real demand at fixed salary floors in federal contracting. In the private sector, the bump is less mechanical but still real: moving from a help desk role to an entry-level SOC analyst position typically means a $15,000–$30,000 increase, and Security+ is often the credential that makes that move possible.
Is CompTIA A+ worth it for salary?
At the entry level, yes. A+ gives hiring managers a baseline confidence in a candidate's technical knowledge when there's no work history to evaluate. The salary ceiling for A+-only holders is low ($55,000–$60,000), so it should be treated as a starting point, not a destination. Most people who stop at A+ plateau quickly; the ones who progress to Network+ or Security+ see much better long-term salary trajectories.
How does CompTIA salary compare to CISSP?
CISSP holders earn significantly more—medians of $120,000–$140,000—but CISSP requires five years of verified security experience before you can certify. It's not a starting point; it's a senior-level credential. CompTIA certifications (particularly SecurityX and CySA+) cover similar conceptual territory and are achievable without that experience requirement. The salary difference reflects the experience gap as much as the credential gap.
Which CompTIA certification pays the most?
SecurityX (CAS-005) has the highest salary ceiling, with experienced holders earning $120,000–$135,000+ in enterprise and government roles. However, it's also the most difficult to obtain and requires substantial prior experience to be competitive. For the best salary-to-effort ratio at entry level, Security+ is hard to beat—particularly for government and defense-sector work where it unlocks DoD-cleared positions.
Do I need a degree to get a CompTIA salary job?
For A+ and Network+ roles, a degree is rarely required—these certs were designed in part as degree substitutes for entry-level IT support. At the Security+ level, requirements vary. Many government contractor positions list Security+ without a degree requirement, particularly for cleared positions. For senior roles (CySA+, SecurityX territory), a degree or equivalent combination of certifications and experience becomes more common as a baseline expectation, though exceptions exist.
Bottom Line
CompTIA certifications aren't the highest-paying credentials in IT, but they're among the most reliable for people starting out or moving into new technical disciplines. Security+ has the best combination of accessibility, market demand, and salary leverage—especially in government and federal contracting work. A+ and Network+ are legitimate entry points, not resume padding, but they're starting lines rather than finishing lines.
If salary is your primary driver, the decision tree looks like this: start with Security+ if you have any prior IT experience; start with A+ only if you genuinely need to build foundational knowledge first. Once you have Security+, adding cloud credentials (AWS, Azure) or moving toward CySA+ will do more for your CompTIA salary trajectory than collecting additional mid-tier CompTIA certs.
The courses listed above are the ones currently aligned to active exam objectives. CompTIA updates exams regularly, so verify the version number (e.g., SY0-701) matches the current live exam before purchasing any prep course.
