Security Engineer vs Electrical Engineer Salary
Security Engineers earn approximately 17.7% more than Electrical Engineers nationally — $130,000 vs $107,000.
Security Engineer vs Electrical Engineer: salary breakdown
On a national-median basis, Security Engineers out-earn Electrical Engineers by $23,000 per year — a 17.7% gap. That works out to roughly $1,917/month or $11/hour of difference.
Important context: these are MEDIANS — the middle salary in the country. Real-world variation is wide: entry-level roles in either career may pay 25-35% below median, while senior roles or specialized niches can pay 50-100%+ above. Your specific numbers depend on experience, location, employer, and credentials.
When does the salary gap matter most?
For someone choosing between these careers, the $23,000 annual difference compounds:
- Over 10 years: ~$230,000 in raw salary difference
- Over 40 years: ~$920,000 (without raises or compounding)
- With 3% annual raises: the gap typically grows because the higher-paid role's raises are also larger in dollar terms
- With investment compounding: the $23,000/year extra invested at 7% over 40 years grows to roughly $4,577,000 — significantly more than the raw difference
But salary isn't everything. Job satisfaction, work-life balance, growth potential, and career switching costs all matter. A career you can sustain for decades beats a higher-paying one you'll burn out on.
By state and city — significant variation
National medians are starting points. Real salaries vary 30%+ by location:
- Security Engineer in California ≈ $153,400 (1.18× national)
- Security Engineer in Mississippi ≈ $109,200 (0.84× national)
- Electrical Engineer in California ≈ $126,260
- Electrical Engineer in Mississippi ≈ $89,880
Use our Security Engineer salary by state pages to drill into specific locations.
Other comparisons in Tech
Other comparisons in Engineering
Related tools
Security Engineer salary by state — Electrical Engineer salary by state — Best cities for Security Engineer — Best cities for Electrical Engineer — Paycheck Calculator — Investment Calculator.