Is the CompTIA Security+ Worth It?
Strengths
- Aggregate role-level salary near $95,000 (proxy estimate, not cert-specific)
- High employer demand with 38.0K active job listings
- Achievable exam with 82% community-reported pass rate
- No prerequisites required — accessible to career changers and newcomers
Considerations
- Higher exam cost at $404 — factor in potential retake fees
- Has prerequisites — not suitable for complete beginners
Bottom line: At $404 exam cost with a role-level salary aggregate near $95,000 (proxy estimate, not cert-specific), the CompTIA Security+ offers a solid return on investment for cybersecurity professionals. Not sure if this is the right choice? See how it stacks up in our CompTIA Security+ vs GSEC comparison.
Who Should Get the CompTIA Security+?
This certification is a good fit if you are:
- IT newcomers looking to validate foundational knowledge
- Career changers transitioning into technology
- Anyone targeting roles that list CompTIA Security+ as preferred or required
This certification is a key step on the Application Security Engineer career path and 2 other career roadmaps.
Exam Details
Salary Data
Professionals holding the CompTIA Security+ certification earn between $65,000 and $130,000 annually, with an average of $95,000. For context, the CISSP averages $152,000.
Job market demand trend: Stable (+8% YoY)
Disclaimer: Salary figures are US-median estimates compiled from BLS wage statistics, Glassdoor, and job-posting aggregates. They are estimates only, not financial advice or a guarantee of earnings. Actual compensation varies by location, experience, employer, and negotiation.
Prerequisites
- CompTIA Network+ recommended but not required
- 2+ years in IT administration with security focus recommended
Skills Covered
Best Study Resources
CompTIA CertMaster Learn
Free CourseProfessor Messer — Free Video Course
CourseJason Dion — Udemy Course
Comparisons Featuring CompTIA Security+
GIAC GSEC vs CompTIA Security+: Which Security Certification?
GSEC and Security+ both validate core security knowledge, but they target different career stages and budgets. This comp...
CompTIA Network+ vs Security+: Which to Get First?
CompTIA Network+ and Security+ are two of the most popular entry-to-intermediate IT certifications, and the question of ...
CompTIA Security+ vs ISC2 CC: Best Entry-Level Security Cert?
Security+ and ISC2 CC both target newcomers to cybersecurity, but they occupy very different positions in the market. Th...
Career Paths With CompTIA Security+
Application Security Engineer
Application security engineers protect software from vulnerabilities by integrating security practic...
Cybersecurity Analyst
Cybersecurity analysts protect organizations from cyber threats by monitoring systems, analyzing vul...
GRC (Governance, Risk & Compliance) Specialist
GRC specialists ensure organizations meet regulatory requirements, manage information security risks...
More Cybersecurity Certifications
View all →CISSP
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Amazon Web Services · Advanced
CISM
ISACA · Advanced
CCSP
ISC2 · Advanced
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CompTIA Security+ worth it in 2026?
How hard is Security+ SY0-701?
Security+ vs CEH — which is better?
Explore other options in cybersecurity: CISSP, AWS Certified Security — Specialty, and more in our Cybersecurity Certifications hub.
Sources for every data point
Each quantitative claim on this page is mapped to a verifiable source. Official vendor pages and government datasets are preferred; community estimates and editorial extrapolations are flagged explicitly.
| Data point | Source | Tier | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exam duration | CompTIA — Security+ exam objectives | Official | verified 29d ago |
| Exam code | CompTIA — Security+ exam objectives (SY0-701) | Official | verified 29d ago |
| Passing score | CompTIA — Security+ exam objectives | Official | verified 29d ago |
| Pass rate | CompTIA — publicly acknowledged ~80%+ pass rate for prepared candidates CompTIA is one of the few vendors that publicly references pass-rate benchmarks. | Official | verified 29d ago |
| Prerequisites | US Department of Defense — DoD 8140 / 8570 approved baseline cert list Security+ is approved for IAT Level II; this drives much of the demand. | Official | verified 29d ago |
| Exam price | CompTIA — Security+ (SY0-701) certification page US voucher price. Bundles and CertMaster discounts may apply. | Official | verified 29d ago |
| Question count | CompTIA — Security+ exam objectives Maximum of 90 items; includes performance-based questions. | Official | verified 29d ago |
| Job listings | LinkedIn — Active US postings mentioning "Security+" | Aggregate | verified 29d ago |
| Average salary | Glassdoor — Security Analyst with Security+ (US) Glassdoor blocks programmatic access (HTTP 403). The URL renders for human visitors but cannot be auto-verified. | Aggregate | verified 29d ago |
| Average salary | Payscale CompTIA Security+ certification page Payscale aggregator with cert-specific salary page (200 OK). Cert-specific source preferred over role-level proxy per ChatGPT ronda 6. | Aggregate | verified 19d ago |
| Salary range | Glassdoor + Payscale — Security+ holder salary distribution | Aggregate | verified 29d ago |
| Salary range | Payscale CompTIA Security+ certification page 10th-90th percentile derived from Payscale cert-specific page for Security+. | Aggregate | verified 19d ago |
| Study hours | TechExams.net CompTIA Security+ forum Study-hour estimate aggregated from candidate reports in this forum threads. Wide variance individual to individual. | Community | verified 29d ago |
| Demand trend | LinkedIn + Indeed YoY comparison for Security+ listings | Editorial estimate | verified 29d ago |
Data Sources & Transparency
- Salary data — Bureau of Labor Statistics, Glassdoor, and job posting aggregates (US median)
- Job listings — LinkedIn, Indeed, and Dice active postings (sampled quarterly)
- Pass rates — Community-reported estimates from Reddit, TechExams, and certification forums
- Exam details — CompTIA official certification documentation