Cybersecurity Analyst
Information Technology
Monitor networks, investigate threats, and defend systems from attack.
Why it matters here: One of the highest-demand fields in the Maryland/DC corridor.
Labor Market — DMV Region
Sourced from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS releases (DMV metro and nationwide) plus MD, VA, and D.C. workforce agencies.
Local cost of living is why DMV pay often differs from the national median.
- DMV & state figures: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — OEWS wage & employment estimates and Employment Projections, with OEWS area pay relatives for the Washington–Arlington–Alexandria metro, Maryland, D.C., and Northern Virginia · View source
- Occupation profiles & skills: O*NET OnLine (U.S. Department of Labor) · onetonline.org
All salary figures are published estimates for groups of workers, not offers or guarantees for any individual role.
Education & Career Pathways
Multiple ways to get here — pick the one that fits your life.
Career Progression
How you can grow — with expected salary at each step.
- Entry-level Cybersecurity AnalystLearning the role, supervised work, building core skills.$100,280
- Cybersecurity Analyst (experienced)Independent work, mentoring newer team members.$131,190
- Senior / Lead Cybersecurity AnalystOwning projects, specialization, higher responsibility.$166,770
- Manager or specialist trackSupervising a team or moving into a high-demand specialty.$200,124
Skills Required
What you'll actually do — and how you'll be judged.
Security operations center, shift or on-call coverage
Where you work
A security operations center with wall dashboards, or a secure facility near Fort Meade where phones stay in a locker outside.
Hours and schedule
Many SOCs run 24/7 shifts; corporate security teams work weekdays with rotating on-call.
Pace and pressure
Long monitoring stretches broken by incidents that demand immediate, careful action.
Who you work with
Tiered analyst teams that escalate to each other, plus close work with IT and legal during an incident.
Physical demands
Desk work; night shifts are the wearing part.
What people wear
Business casual in government settings, casual in commercial ones.
Remote reality
Commercial roles are often remote; cleared work in the DMV usually is not.
Workplace culture: what's normal here
- Escalating something that turns out to be nothing is always better than sitting on it.
- Incident write-ups are blameless — the goal is fixing the gap, not naming who clicked.
- Clearance and need-to-know rules mean you genuinely don't discuss work outside the room.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook — Work Environment, with regional detail for the DMV.
Official data behind this career
Federal statistics for DMV Region, translated into plain language.
Washington–Arlington–Alexandria, DC–VA–MD–WV metro area
Source: U.S. Census Bureau — ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimates (tables DP03, DP02, DP05)
- The DMV functions as one labor market: workers routinely cross state lines to get to work.
- The largest employment destinations are D.C., Fairfax County and Montgomery County.
Top places these workers go to work
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — BEA regional GDP and personal income, most recent published year
Private-sector payroll data from ADP. It is a supplemental near-real-time indicator and does not replace BLS government employment statistics.
Source: ADP National Employment Report — Most recent monthly ADP National Employment Report
- 1U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OOH, OEWS, Employment Projections, CES) — Primary source for occupation wages, outlook, projected openings, education and training.
- 2U.S. Census Bureau — American Community Survey — Primary source for income, educational attainment, labor force and demographic context by place.
- 3Census LEHD (LODES / OnTheMap) — Primary source for where workers live versus where they work, and local workforce flows.
- 4U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Primary source for regional GDP, industry contribution, compensation and personal income.
- 5ADP National Employment Report — Supplemental near-real-time private-sector employment and pay indicator. Not a replacement for BLS.
Figures describe groups of workers, not any one person. Where an official figure is not published for a category, this page says “Data unavailable for this category.” rather than estimating.
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