How does a cyber security salary compare with the national full-time average?
If you work in cyber security in Australia, you might be wondering how your pay stacks up against the national benchmark. The most widely used reference point is the ABS Average Weekly Earnings series, which gives the full-time adult average weekly ordinary time earnings. In May 2026 that figure was $2,083.70 per week, or about $108,352 a year (multiplied by 52). This is the line that Average line uses as its central reference.
But the ABS does not publish a separate “cyber security salary”. Cyber security roles are typically classified under ICT Professionals, which sit within the broader Professionals occupation group. The most recent detailed earnings data comes from the ABS Employee Earnings and Hours survey for May 2025. It shows that Professionals had average hourly total cash earnings of $64.50. For a full-time worker on a standard 38-hour week, that translates to roughly $2,451 per week or $127,452 per year.
That estimate is well above the national full-time average. It is also higher than the full-time median of about $90,532 and the all-employees median of $74,100. And it is more than double the national minimum wage of $26.44 per hour ($52,255 per year on 38 hours) that took effect on 1 July 2026.
A note on the estimate
It is important to remember that $127,452 is an average for all Professionals, not a precise figure for cyber security specialists. Salaries in cyber security vary widely by experience, certification, industry sector, and location. Entry-level roles may pay less, while senior or specialised positions (such as security architects or penetration testers) can pay significantly more. The ABS data also shows that the top 25% of full-time employees earned more than $2,560 per week in May 2025, so many cyber security professionals would fall into that upper quartile.
Take-home pay after tax
To see what a cyber security salary might mean in your pocket, we can run a rough tax calculation using the 2026–27 resident tax rates:
- Nil on the first $18,200
- 15% on income from $18,201 to $45,000
- 30% on income from $45,001 to $135,000
- 37% on income from $135,001 to $190,000
- 45% on income above $190,000
- Plus a 2% Medicare levy (before any reductions)
For the estimated $127,452:
- Tax on first $18,200: $0
- Tax on $18,201–$45,000: $4,020
- Tax on $45,001–$127,452: $24,735.60 (30% of $82,452)
- Total tax: $28,755.60
- Medicare levy (2% of $127,452): $2,549.04
- Total tax and Medicare: $31,304.64
- Approximate take-home: $96,147 per year, or $1,849 per week
Compare that with the national full-time average of $108,352:
- Tax: $24,667.20
- Medicare: $2,167.04
- Total: $26,834.24
- Take-home: $81,517.76 per year, or $1,567 per week
So the estimated cyber security salary would leave you with about $14,630 more in take-home pay each year. Of course, actual tax depends on your specific situation, including deductions, offsets, and whether you have private health insurance.
How it compares by state
The national full-time average hides differences across states and territories. The ABS Average Weekly Earnings for May 2026 gives state-level full-time ordinary time earnings. Here are the annualised figures (× 52):
- Australian Capital Territory: $119,090
- Western Australia: $115,825
- New South Wales: $109,658
- Victoria: $106,137
- Queensland: $106,064
- Northern Territory: $103,173
- South Australia: $102,450
- Tasmania: $96,008
An estimated cyber security salary of $127,452 would be above every state average, including the ACT’s $119,090. That suggests that cyber security roles tend to command a premium over the typical full-time job in every part of the country. For a more detailed breakdown of how salaries vary by location, see our States and territories page.
Other benchmarks to keep in mind
While the full-time average is a useful reference, it is not the only one. The ABS also publishes medians, which are less affected by very high or very low earners. The full-time median weekly earnings were about $1,887 in May 2025 (roughly $98,124 a year), and the all-employees median was $1,436 ($74,672). The estimated cyber security salary sits well above both.
For those in award-covered roles, the minimum wage for most awards rose by 4.75% from 1 July 2026. But cyber security professionals are typically covered by individual arrangements or enterprise agreements, not awards. According to the ABS, individual arrangement was the most common method of setting pay (38.5%) in May 2025, followed by collective agreement (34.6%).
If you want to see how your own salary measures up against the national line, you can Place a salary on the line using our tool. For more on how the ABS collects and calculates these figures, see How the figures are set.
The bottom line
While there is no official “cyber security salary” from the ABS, the available data for Professionals gives a reasonable estimate of around $127,452 per year. That is roughly 18% above the national full-time average of $108,352. After tax, the difference in take-home pay is about $14,600 per year. Actual salaries will vary, but the picture is clear: cyber security roles typically pay above the national benchmark, and the premium is even larger when compared with state averages or the minimum wage.