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Information Security Engineers in California

Want to work as an Information Security Engineers in California? Below are the key facts. All computer occupations not listed separately. Excludes “Computer and Information Systems Managers” (11-3021), “Computer Hardware Engineers” (17-2061), “Electrical and Electronics Engineers” (17-2070), “Computer Science Teachers, Postsecondary” (25-1021), “Special Effects Artists and Animators” (27-1014), “Graphic Designers” (27-1024), “Health Information Technologists and Medical Registrars” (29-9021), and “Computer, Automated Teller, and Office Machine Repairers” (49-2011).

What do Information Security Engineers Make in California?

For information security engineers working in California, the typical annual salary is $128,750 per year (or about $61.90/hour).Pay can range from $55,640 at the 10th percentile to $213,440 at the 90th percentile.

Wage Statistic	Annual	Hourly
10th percentile	$55,640	$26.75
25th percentile	$80,830	$38.86
Median (50th)	$128,750	$61.90
75th percentile	$169,140	$81.32
90th percentile	$213,440	$102.61

The location quotient — a measure of how concentrated this occupation is in California relative to the national average — is 1.66, suggesting that information security engineers are more concentrated here than the national average.

National Wage Comparison

Nationally, information security engineers earn a median of $142,543 per year ($68.53/hour), below the California median.

Employment Outlook

Nationally, total employment in this occupation is 598,532 information security engineers in the U.S.. In California alone, approximately 85,270 people work in this role. That’s more than the typical state, which employs around 3,420 information security engineers.

Top California Metros for Information Security Engineers

These are the California metros with the most information security engineers in California.

Metro Area	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	23,310	$101,840
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	18,680	$157,380
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	15,550	$168,070
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA	8,210	$121,560
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA	3,160	$109,100
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA	2,740	$92,370
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA	1,540	$103,790
Bakersfield-Delano, CA	1,070	$106,790
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA	780	$125,090
Fresno, CA	610	$85,490
Salinas, CA	500	$126,280
Stockton-Lodi, CA	420	$80,200
Modesto, CA	320	$91,020
Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA	320	$93,310
Vallejo, CA	250	$105,600
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA	180	$104,800
Visalia, CA	130	$78,480
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA	120	$103,230
Redding, CA	110	$80,180
Chico, CA	100	$86,580
Napa, CA	90	$94,360
Merced, CA	80	$71,820
Hanford-Corcoran, CA	70	$95,910
Yuba City, CA	60	$98,920
El Centro, CA	40	$90,650

Top States for Information Security Engineers Employment

View the states that employ the most information security engineers work.

State	Number Employed
California	85,270
Texas	59,680
Maryland	19,940
Georgia	18,590
Florida	18,320
Pennsylvania	17,710
District of Columbia	17,210
Virginia	14,020
North Carolina	13,660
Washington	13,620
Missouri	13,180
New Jersey	12,490
Illinois	11,440
Tennessee	11,190
New York	9,860
Colorado	8,690
Michigan	7,400
Massachusetts	6,100
South Carolina	5,840
Arizona	5,740

Highest-Paying States for Information Security Engineers

These states pay the most for information security engineers.

State	Annual Median Salary
Virgin Islands	$179,830
Maryland	$141,540
District of Columbia	$137,610
Virginia	$132,810
Delaware	$132,670
Washington	$131,800
California	$128,750
Colorado	$119,560
West Virginia	$113,030
Hawaii	$112,050

Skills

Key information security engineers skills, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Knowledge Areas

Core knowledge areas for this occupation, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Abilities

Key abilities for information security engineers, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Daily Tasks

Information Security Engineers typically:

• Identify security system weaknesses, using penetration tests.
• Coordinate monitoring of networks or systems for security breaches or intrusions.
• Assess the quality of security controls, using performance indicators.
• Train staff on, and oversee the use of, information security standards, policies, and best practices.
• Scan networks, using vulnerability assessment tools to identify vulnerabilities.
• Develop response and recovery strategies for security breaches.
• Conduct investigations of information security breaches to identify vulnerabilities and evaluate the damage.
• Develop or install software, such as firewalls and data encryption programs, to protect sensitive information.
• Oversee development of plans to safeguard computer files against accidental or unauthorized modification, destruction, or disclosure or to meet emergency data processing needs.
• Identify or implement solutions to information security problems.
• Develop information security standards and best practices.
• Recommend information security enhancements to management.

Work Activities

• Working with Computers
• Getting Information
• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
• Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
• Analyzing Data or Information
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems
• Processing Information
• Documenting/Recording Information
• Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
• Training and Teaching Others
• Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others

Tools & Technology

Software and systems commonly involved: Hot technologies: Amazon Web Services AWS CloudFormation, Amazon Web Services AWS software, Ansible software, Apple iOS, Apple macOS, Atlassian Confluence, Atlassian JIRA, Bash In-demand technologies: Amazon Web Services AWS software, Bash

What Major Will Prepare You For This Career?

Related college programs include:

• Computer Science
• Computer Information Systems
• Information Science
• Information Technology
• Data Processing

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Related Careers

Related occupations to information security engineers include:

• Security Managers
• Computer and Information Systems Managers
• Security Management Specialists
• Computer Systems Analysts
• Information Security Analysts
• Computer Network Support Specialists

Also Known As

AI Security Specialist (Artificial Intelligence Security Specialist), Application Security Administrator (Application Security Admin), Application Security Engineer, Automotive Security Engineer, BISO (Business Information Security Officer), Cloud Engineer, Cloud Security Architect, Cloud Security Engineer, Communications Security Manager (COMSEC Manager), Cyber Defense Incident Responder, Cyber Defense Infrastructure Support Specialist, Cybersecurity Architect, Cybersecurity Engineer, Cybersecurity Hardware Engineer, Cybersecurity Software Developer.

References

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — https://www.bls.gov/oes/
• O*NET Online — https://www.onetonline.org/
• BLS Employment Projections — https://www.bls.gov/emp/
• O*NET-SOC code: 15-1299.05