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Role hub · Penetration Testers

Penetration Tester: what the job is, what it pays, and how to get hired.

The work, the skills that matter, the tools in demand and the pay range, from U.S. government data, plus every TryHired page for the role.

BLS does not publish pay for penetration testers separately. Every pay figure on this page is for the BLS occupation “Computer Occupations, All Other” (SOC 15-1299), which includes penetration testers and other jobs; it is not a figure for penetration testers alone.

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Updated Nov 2, 2026 · Data: BLS OEWS May 2025 · O*NET 31.0
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Median percentile pay

Half of workers in the BLS occupation “Computer Occupations, All Other” earn more than this and half earn less.

Annual
$116,580
Hourly
$56.05
Source
BLS May 2025
Quick answer

Penetration Testers evaluate network system security by conducting simulated internal and external cyberattacks using adversary tools and techniques. The median pay is $116,580 a year ($56.05 an hour) (BLS, May 2025).

Median pay
$116,580
BLS May 2025
Employed in the U.S.
435,370
BLS May 2025
Preparation
Job Zone 4 of 5
considerable preparation
Key facts

Penetration Testers at a glance

  • Workers in the BLS occupation “Computer Occupations, All Other” (which includes penetration testers) in the United States earned a median annual wage of $116,580 in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

  • In its 2025–35 employment projections, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for penetration testers in the United States.

    Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35

  • BLS estimated that 435,370 people were employed as penetration testers in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

Explore the role

Every page for Penetration Testers

SalaryPenetration Tester salary

Pay by percentile, state and metro, with a negotiation script.

Open →Interview questionsPenetration Tester interview questions

Questions with what they test, plus practice mode.

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The work

What penetration testers do day to day

Data Core tasks rated most important by workers in the role (O*NET).

  1. Document penetration test findings.
  2. Identify security system weaknesses, using penetration tests.
  3. Write audit reports to communicate technical and procedural findings and recommend solutions.
  4. Gather cyber intelligence to identify vulnerabilities.
  5. Maintain up-to-date knowledge of hacking trends.
  6. Keep up with new penetration testing tools and methods.
  7. Identify new threat tactics, techniques, or procedures used by cyber threat actors.
  8. Conduct network and security system audits, using established criteria.
Where this career works

Industries that employ it

Data Share of all penetration tester jobs in each industry, 2025 (BLS Employment Matrix). Figures cover all computer occupations, all other (SOC 15-1299), the broader occupation.

  1. Professional, scientific, and technical services26.0% of all jobs in this occupation · +12.9% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $125,890
  2. Government, excluding state and local education and hospitals22.4% of all jobs in this occupation · -4.3% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $124,650
  3. Management of companies and enterprises4.9% of all jobs in this occupation · +4.6% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $133,260
  4. Administrative and support services4.9% of all jobs in this occupation · +1.3% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $108,110
  5. Educational services; state, local, and private4.3% of all jobs in this occupation · +2.2% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $88,470
  6. Computing infrastructure providers, data processing, web hosting, and related services3.5% of all jobs in this occupation · +27.0% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $131,930

Sources: BLS 2025–35 National Employment Matrix (share of the occupation's jobs, projected change) and BLS OEWS May 2025 industry estimates (mean wage). Different industry estimates are not a pay forecast for any person.

Skills that matter

Ranked by importance to the job

Data O*NET importance ratings. The first three are core.

Critical ThinkingcoreReading ComprehensioncoreWritingcoreComplex Problem SolvingProgrammingActive ListeningSystems EvaluationActive LearningJudgment and Decision Making

Knowledge areas: Computers and Electronics, Telecommunications, Engineering and Technology, English Language, Customer and Personal Service, Law and Government.

Tools and technology

Software penetration testers use

Data Examples reported for the role; employer demand flags from O*NET.

  • Microsoft Active DirectoryInternet directory services softwareIn demand
  • Splunk EnterpriseEnterprise system management softwareIn demand
  • Firewall softwareNetwork security and virtual private network VPN equipment softwareIn demand
  • Kali LinuxProgram testing softwareIn demand
  • MITRE ATT&CK softwareProgram testing softwareIn demand
  • MetasploitTransaction security and virus protection softwareIn demand
  • NmapTransaction security and virus protection softwareIn demand
  • Portswigger BurP SuiteTransaction security and virus protection softwareIn demand
  • Qualys Cloud PlatformCloud-based protection or security softwareIn demand
  • Tenable NessusTransaction security and virus protection softwareIn demand
  • Ansible softwareExpert system softwareHot technology
  • DockerApplication server softwareHot technology

Also called: Cyber Systems Engineer, Security Consultant, Security Engineer, System Vulnerability Analyst, Threat Hunter, Vulnerability Assessor.

Method

How this page is built

Tasks, skills, tools, education and related roles come from O*NET 31.0. Pay and employment come from the BLS OEWS May 2025 national estimates. The skill-match score is our calculation: Skill match is the cosine similarity of the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level and subtract the average across all occupations, then compare the direction of the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 means unrelated or opposite (negative values are shown as 0). Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared.

What this page can't tell you
  • How a specific employer defines the job.
  • Pay for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
  • Your own chances: data describes the occupation, not you.
Sources
  1. O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
  2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).

How TryHired builds this data: sources, methods and downloads. Spotted an error? Report a correction.