Salary · Cybersecurity
Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) salary: what it pays (2026)
Indicative pay ranges for roles that commonly value CEH - broken down by role and by market. These are orientation figures, not a salary survey, so use them to compare and plan, then verify for your own city and year.
Indicative ranges for orientation only - not surveyed data, and not financial or career advice.
What CEH tends to pay
US security professionals who hold CEH commonly report indicative pay around ~$90k-135k, varying a lot by role (SOC/analyst lower, penetration tester/engineer higher). CEH is broad-knowledge rather than hands-on, so pay tracks the actual job title.
Pay by role (indicative)
| Security Analyst | ~$80k-110k |
|---|---|
| Penetration Tester | ~$90k-135k |
| Security Engineer | ~$110k-150k |
| Senior Security Consultant | ~$130k-170k |
Bands are indicative US figures unless stated. Actual pay depends on experience, employer, city and year.
Other markets (indicative)
| United Kingdom | ~£40k-75k |
|---|---|
| Germany | ~€55k-80k |
Jobs that often ask for it
- Security Analyst
- Penetration Tester
- Security Engineer
- SOC Analyst
- Cybersecurity Consultant
Weigh the pay against the cost
Salary is only half the picture. Before you commit, check what CEH actually costs to sit and maintain, and where it can take you over a career.
- See the full fee breakdown in the CEH cost and overview (exam fee, retake, materials and renewal).
- Estimate your total spend, including a possible retake, with our exam cost calculator.
Where CEH leads (with a pay ladder)
These career paths show how pay typically climbs stage by stage, and where CEH fits on the way up: