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Guide · data from the ClearanceJobs 2026 report
What your security clearance is worth in 2026
Cleared professionals hit a record average of $126,125 in total compensation in 2025. Here is what the numbers mean if you are leaving the military with a clearance.
Independent resource. Six Figure Salute is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs, any military branch, or any government agency. Pay figures are third-party estimates, not offers or guarantees. Always confirm details with the original source.
Source for every figure on this page: ClearanceJobs, 2026 Security Clearance Compensation Report, as summarized in “New Report Reveals Security Clearance Compensation Climbs to Record High Amid Federal Workforce Uncertainty” (Phoebe Wells, ClearanceJobs, March 31, 2026). Figures are survey averages of total compensation reported by cleared professionals, not guarantees. Six Figure Salute is not affiliated with ClearanceJobs.
The headline: clearances still pay
According to ClearanceJobs, average total compensation for cleared professionals rose nearly 6% in 2025 to $126,125, despite return-to-office mandates, agency restructuring and policy shifts. Seventy percent of professionals reported a base pay increase, including 12% who saw raises of more than 10%.
“For candidates, the message is clear: your security clearance remains one of the most valuable credentials in today’s unpredictable labor market.”
Alex Schildt, President of ClearanceJobs, quoted in the report announcement
The polygraph premium
Professionals holding a Lifestyle or Full Scope polygraph reported average total compensation of $149,875, nearly $30,000 more than cleared professionals without a polygraph. If you served in a billet that required a poly (common in intelligence and cyber specialties like 35N, CWT or 1N0), find out what you hold and when it was adjudicated before you separate.
Where cleared pay is highest
| Location | Average total compensation | Share of respondents |
|---|---|---|
| Maryland | $139,303 | 10% |
| Virginia | $138,748 | 21% |
| Colorado | $138,256 | Not stated |
| District of Columbia | $136,369 | 7% |
ClearanceJobs calls Virginia a top-paying state, with Maryland and D.C. rounding out the top three. Outside the National Capital Region, it calls out Colorado as a leading hub for space, intelligence and defense work. Compensation was highest in the Intelligence Community, where employees at agencies such as the CIA averaged more than $170,000.
Early-career pay: technical roles lead
In their first two years, cleared professionals in IT averaged $82,753, followed by intelligence ($77,848) and engineering ($75,916). The report says technical skills and moving into leadership continue to command higher pay as careers progress.
Cleared workers are on the move
Seventy-eight percent of cleared professionals say they are at least somewhat likely to change jobs in the next year, and nearly two-thirds named higher pay as the top factor that would improve workplace happiness. For a transitioning service member, that turnover means steady openings.
What this means for you
- Put your clearance level, and polygraph type if you have one, near the top of your resume.
- Know your investigation date. Your eligibility doesn't last forever after you separate, so start your search early (use the Mission Timeline).
- Pair the clearance with a technical credential. IT led early-career pay in the report; see the certifications for your code on our career pages.
- Negotiate total compensation. The report's figures are total compensation, so look at bonus and benefits as well as base pay.
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