Cyber security professional salary in the UK
ONS data for April 2025 · Page updated
Cyber security pay grew faster than any other occupation on these pages in the latest ONS figures, reflecting a persistent skills shortage. Pay varies widely with specialism, certifications and security clearance.
- Median full-time pay
- £54,647
- 25th percentile
- £42,761
- 75th percentile
- £71,808
- Change on a year earlier
- +12.5%
How pay is spread
Line: 10th to 90th percentile. Bar: the middle half of earners (25th to 75th). Mark and label: median. Where ONS doesn't publish the 90th percentile, the line stops at the highest published point.
| Full-time annual pay | Cyber security professional | All UK jobs |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | £32,471 | £23,990 |
| 25th percentile | £42,761 | £29,262 |
| Median | £54,647 | £39,039 |
| 75th percentile | £71,808 | £54,009 |
| 90th percentile | – | £76,903 |
| Mean | £59,627 | £48,512 |
– ONS doesn't publish this figure because the sample is too small to be reliable.
ONS classifies this role as “Cyber security professionals” (SOC 2020 code 2135). Figures cover full-time employees across the whole UK, at every level of seniority, so a senior role in London or at a large employer will usually sit above the median. Pay by region for individual occupations isn't published reliably at city level.
What cyber security professionals can negotiate
Clearance is worth money. Roles that need SC or DV clearance often pay a premium, and holding clearance already saves an employer months. If you hold it, say so explicitly and use it as a lever.
On-call and incident response. Ask how on-call is paid. A standby allowance plus call-out pay can add materially to total compensation, and is easier to negotiate than base salary.
Certifications. Ask the employer to fund certifications and exam fees, and whether passing them triggers a pay review.
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Other roles
Source: Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2025 (provisional), Table 14.7a (occupation, SOC 2020). Gross annual pay for full-time employee jobs, April 2025. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. See how we use this data.