CISO salary calculator — total compensation by stage, industry, and geography.
Free, live total-compensation range — base + bonus + equity at typical 4-year vest — for the CISO role across stage (director through tier-1 enterprise), industry (financial services, fintech, healthcare, tech, government), and geography (Bay Area, NYC, US national median, London, Singapore, more). 30 seconds, no signup.
- → 5 career stages — director-level transitioning to tier-1 enterprise CISO.
- → 7 industries — financial / tech / crypto / healthcare / manufacturing / retail / government.
- → 7 geographies — including international (London, Singapore, Tel Aviv, Toronto, Sydney, Frankfurt).
- → Sourced from Kudelski Security 2025 Cybersecurity Leadership Survey, Robert Half 2025 Salary Guide, IANS Research / Artico Search 2025 State of CISO Compensation, and S&P 500 proxy statements.
What's a CISO salary in 2026?
A first-time CISO at a mid-market company earns $320,000–$600,000 in total compensation in 2026. Senior CISOs at Fortune 500 firms frequently exceed $1,000,000. The range varies by industry (financial services pays 25-40% above baseline; crypto/Web3 has materially compressed since 2022, now +10-30%), geography (Bay Area runs 30%+ over the US median), and equity structure (pre-IPO equity often outweighs cash). The calculator above lets you slot in the exact combination.
After the number — how to get there
Hitting your target comp is a 12–20-year game of correctly-stacked decisions: certification choice, specialization, industry vertical, and the moment you take ownership of board communication. Read the CISO career roadmap for the full path, take the cert match quiz to find your right credential, or play CISO Simulator free to feel the budget pressure that earns the comp.
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