In many ways, cybersecurity might be perfect for anyone looking to make a career change. With the right training in just 6 months, you can earn all the knowledge, hands-on experience, and basic industry certifications needed to start working and earn very competitive salaries (for July 2021, the annual average pay for a cybersecurity specialist in the US is $112,974). And, to make things even more interesting, there are over 500,000 job openings to work in cybersecurity in the US.
Getting into this field will be a life-changing experience.
To help you understand your chances of actually getting a job, we created a list of the best seven US cities to work in cybersecurity based on the total available positions per location and their average paying salaries.
Best U.S. Cities to Work in Cybersecurity
1- San Francisco, CA
With a workforce of over 22,000 employed cybersecurity professionals, San Francisco is the tech capital of the west coast and home to many large corporations, medical services, and large educational centers.
Although the cost of living in this city is pretty high, salaries in this field are way above the average nationwide, making it even more interesting for those looking for a better income and way of living. Among the most popular jobs are cybersecurity consultants, specialists, and analysts.
Current job openings: 13,593
Employed workforce: 22,355
Average salary: $146,822
2- Washington DC
No surprise that Washington DC is the leader of this list. The place that serves as headquarters for most government agencies and large private corporations now has more than 65,000 job openings for cybersecurity professionals. Most vacancies are looking to hire people with the right training and skills to carry out security analysts, systems engineers, software developers, and cybersecurity managers or administrators.
Current job openings: 65,449
Employed workforce: 105,382
Average salary: $142,426
3- Chicago, IL
Chicago is among the best cities to work in cybersecurity. It is the place for many business hubs in the country that are constantly looking to hire new and talented people to defend against malicious actors.
Currently, there are over 13,000 job openings, especially for people who have the skills and training to fill decision-making roles.
Current job openings: 13,283
Employed workforce: 28,518
Average salary: $117,860
4- New York, NY
Aside from being the city that never sleeps, New York has many of the largest financial firms, hospitals, educational systems, and many headquarters for the US government, many of which are desirable targets for hackers. No wonder why over 24,000 openings are looking to hire cybersecurity analysts and consultants, as well as network engineers and penetration testers.
Current job openings: 24,401
Employed workforce: 62,157
Average salary: $116,973
5- Dallas, TX
What makes Dallas such a great city for someone looking for a job as a cybersecurity specialist is that it hosts more than 20 Fortune 500 companies looking to hire top-performing candidates to take care of their security systems and protect their assets.
Aside from the obvious profiles such as cybersecurity analysts and consultants, in Dallas, organizations are looking for mid and senior roles that include Chief Information Security Officers (CISO) and Information Security Directors.
Current job openings: 19,372
Employed workforce: 31,762
Average salary: $105,681
6- Atlanta, GA
What makes Atlanta such a great place to look for a cybersecurity job is that it is home to many regional headquarters for most Fortune 100 companies that are constantly looking to hire more trained professionals to take care of their cybersecurity systems and protocols.
Companies in Atlanta are mostly looking for cybersecurity managers, engineers, and business analysts.
Current job openings: 13,810
Employed workforce: 24,765
Average salary: $75,109
7- Los Angeles, CA
According to the most recent statistics published by CompTIA, the technology industry contributes about $493 billion or %18,1% to California’s economy. The state is home to the 7 cities to work in cybersecurity with the highest salaries, higher than the national average.
As of March 2021, Los Angeles has over 30,000 cybersecurity employed workers, and there are over 17,000 job openings.
Current job openings: 17,288
Employed workforce: 30,917
Average salary: $70,107
Are you ready to make your career switch? At CyberWarrior, we might have just what you are looking for: training that goes far beyond the theoretical aspect, which grants you the hands-on experience required by hiring managers and will help you get 4 industry-recognized certifications.
