The 2026 CISO Report from Cybersecurity Ventures in partnership with Sophos is out, with the latest chief information security officer compensation figures from a variety of sources.
According to Glassdoor data, the median annual pay range for a CISO is $321,000, while Salary.com puts the figure at $385,000. Lower tier estimates, provided by Zippia, bottom out at $144,000.
CSO reports that CISO pay at the largest U.S. enterprises is closer to $500,000, with some CISOs receiving 7-figure annual compensation packages, and a few even hauling in $5 million a year.
Estimated equity values are driving significant increases in year-over-year compensation for CISOs, particularly in larger public companies. CISOs in publicly traded companies typically receive better compensation-related benefits, such as equity, insurance, and signing bonuses, according to the 2025 CISO Security Leadership Survey from Hitch Partners.
CISOs in the technology and services sector earn the highest total compensation on average, largely driven by equity and long-term incentives, according to a survey by Heidrick & Struggles.
The survey also states that CISOs in Europe earned less on average than their U.S. counterparts. U.S. Cities including San Francisco, New York, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. offer the highest salaries, according to an analysis of compensation data from publicly available job postings, salary benchmarks from trusted job sites and recruiter-reported ranges from cybersecurity hiring reports.
Read the 2026 CISO Report
