CCSP salary: How much can you make as a cloud security professional?

If you’re looking for the average total compensation of a cloud security professional, we’ll tell you right up front: It’s $148,202. But that total can vary greatly depending on various factors, including experience, location and qualifications. 

To ensure they get this much or more, many professionals opt to earn their Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP) certification. The CCSP, offered by ISC2, is one of the more popular certifications in the cloud information security sphere.  

If you’re looking to earn a handsome CCSP certification salary, read on to learn more about the CCSP, which factors determine how much you get paid and the condition of the current CCSP job market.  For even more salary data, download our free Cybersecurity salary guide ebook.

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Understanding ISC2 CCSP certification 

The CCSP is for cloud security professionals. It verifies your knowledge, ability and skills in cloud security design, architecture, implementation, controls, operations and regulatory framework compliance. The topics covered in the CCSP CBK are grouped into six CCSP domains: 

1. Cloud concepts, architecture and design 
2. Cloud data security 
3. Cloud platform and infrastructure security 
4. Cloud application security 
5. Cloud security operations 
6. Legal, risk and compliance 

You need five years of professional experience to earn CCSP certification. This means it will take more than an entry-level understanding of cloud security; plan accordingly to earn this certification. Think of it this way: You need a working knowledge of these domains, which requires several years of practice in the field. Once you have the experience and certification under your belt, you will be in a good position to earn an impressive, Certified Cloud Security Professional salary. 

The value of CCSP in the job market 

Your ISC2 CCSP salary may be higher than other professionals without a certification because CCSP skills are in such high demand. Cloud is the second biggest skills gap in cybersecurity, behind only soft skills, according to the ISACA State of Cybersecurity 2024 Report. 

Another factor driving CCSP salary in 2025 higher is the popularity of public cloud services. According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), revenue for public cloud is poised to surpass $800 billion in 2024 and is expected to get to $1.6 trillion in 2028. 

One of the primary reasons you can expect a considerable cloud security engineer salary is that so many organizations depend on the cloud to function. It’s one of the best ways to enable quick, inexpensive scaling and incorporate a distributed workforce. Providing security services for an organization gives it the ability to innovate and grow without being overly concerned about data breaches. 

Average salary for CCSP-certified professionals in 2025 

CCSP has been around since 2015 and has a good track record for helping its holders earn healthy salaries. Different salary sites organize salary data differently. We looked at the following three sites, which include data on CCSP holders as well as cloud security engineers. 

• Glassdoor: $145,500 
• Payscale: $123,000 
• Salary.com: $96,462 

The above data relates to base pay, which is an average of $121,654. Total compensation, including other factors like bonuses, is $148,202. 

Salary by location 

The amount you get paid varies considerably depending on where you live. It’s not uncommon to see fairly large swings in compensation from one region to another — even when the job and responsibilities are similar. For example, according to Salary.com, the average base pay in Los Angeles, California, typically ranges up to $120,106, while the upper end of the typical average in Alabama is over 20% lower at $99,082. 

Some of the regional factors that impact salary include: 

• The amount companies pay in a specific region 
• The area’s cost of living 
• The average pay in related sectors or positions, such as data analyst or software programming, which applicants may also apply for 

To give you a more well-rounded idea of what you can expect to earn, here are some higher typical average pay range rates for cloud security professionals in some major cities: 

• San Francisco, California: $134,769 
• Washington D.C.: $119,999 
• Miami, Florida: $104,042 
• Chicago, Illinois: $113,098 
• Boston, Massachusetts: $120,861 
• Dallas, Texas: $106,414 

Earn your CCSP, guaranteed!

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Salary by experience 

Another factor impacting the CCSP average salary is your experience level. Below is what the CCSP median total yearly salary is based on experience, using data from GlassDoor.com: 

• 7 to 9 years: $209,000 
• 4 to 6 years: $186,000 
• 1 to 3 years: $163,000 

Salary by industry 

The industry you work in also plays a significant role in your cloud security engineer or cloud security architect salary, especially because different kinds of companies put more or less value on the security of their cloud assets. In many cases, the value of the assets in the organization’s operations may play a key role. For instance, according to Glassdoor, in the information technology industry, the median pay is $211,000 per year, which is significantly more than Glassdoor's median across all industries of $205,000 (including additional compensation). Given the sensitive nature of the data IT companies may work with in the cloud, this doesn’t come as a surprise. 

Here are some examples of cloud security salaries in other industries using Glassdoor data:

• Legal: $157,000 
• Healthcare: $189,000 
• Education: $160,000 
• Manufacturing: $195,000 
• Real estate: $147,000 

Career opportunities with CCSP certification 

As you can see above, the average salary for CCSP holders is quite positive, but the question remains — what is the CCSP job outlook like? Since the adoption rate of cloud technology is high and increasing by the year, a move to the cloud attracts companies from nearly all sectors, from the financial industry to CCTV surveillance video platforms to healthcare. 

Cloud computing helps improve an organization’s overall information security. Instead of storing vital, sensitive data on-site in servers that may be vulnerable to hacking and on-site disasters such as fires and floods, cloud computing removes this point of failure. The data is stored off-premises in facilities with far better security (both cyber and physical) than the average organization can offer. This is only one factor fueling the current cloud frenzy. 

Here are some numbers from PayScale.com to put this movement into perspective: 

• Security Architect: $155,306 
• Information Security Analyst: $86,410 
• Information Technology (IT) Manager: $109,962 
• Security Engineer: $124,820 
• Information Security Manager: $122,431 
• Cyber Security Engineer: $106,055 
• Cyber Security Analyst: $108,738 

How CCSP fits into cybersecurity careers 

Your CCSP certification does more than earn you a solid salary in the short term. You can also use it as a stepping stone as you take your career to the next level. The role your CCSP cert plays will vary depending on your career trajectory and goals, but here are some examples. 

Suppose you already have your Sec+ certification or equivalent experience. You may choose to take a CCSP Boot Camp, earn your CCSP cert, and then use that to transition to a more cloud-specific career. 

At that point, you could then start looking at management positions. This may lead you to pursue your CISSP or CISM certifications. 

At the same time, perhaps you want to stay in the technical sphere, maybe continue working as an architect or transition into a senior engineer position. If that’s the case, you could pursue your SecurityX certification, which used to be called the CompTIA CASP+ certification. 

For even more information on the latest trends and certifications, check out our Emerging trend checklist. 

What does a cloud security engineer do? 

A cloud security engineer ensures the security of an organization’s cloud-based infrastructure. In this role, you design and implement cloud security measures to make sure your organization’s environment is fully protected from cyber threats. You may also have to manage existing security measures or those you implement over time. 

Learn the requirements and responsibilities of a cloud security engineer in this Cyber Work Podcast episode.

The job tends to break down into the following roles: 

• Security architecture. This is where you design a secure cloud infrastructure, taking into account the most effective architecture for the organization and tools, such as cloud firewalls, to protect its components. 
• Monitoring. Monitoring a cloud environment involves setting up alerts meant to flag suspicious activity, such as unauthorized access attempts and potential security breaches. 
• Incident response. If you detect a possible incident, you have to respond to it, which often involves a combination of automated and manually operated tools. 
• Compliance management. Your compliance management responsibilities will vary based on the industry. It’s common for standards such as GDPR and HIPAA to significantly impact your day-to-day activities. 
• Internal governance standards. In some companies, you may play a significant role in establishing and enforcing internal standards regarding data governance. For example, your organization may want to limit who sees payment data or employee information.

Earn your CCSP, guaranteed!

Save your spot for an upcoming CCSP Boot Camp and earn one of the most in-demand cloud security certifications — guaranteed!

Learn More

CCSP salary summary

One of the most effective ways to boost your chances of earning an impressive cloud security salary is to earn your certification. Even if you're focus isn't on cloud security, adding these skills to your toolbox can position you to stand out from your peers who don't have them.

Even though your salary may range as a cloud security prospect, you can expect a good wage, especially if you land a job in a major city in the Northeast or the West Coast. To see more resources on CCSP training, check out our CCSP training page.