IT Certification Salary Comparison
Compare average salaries with and without top certifications. CISSP holders average $130,000–$160,000. AWS Solutions Architect Professional: $140,000–$170,000. PMP: $120,000–$150,000. Most IT certs add 10–25% to your salary — cloud and security certs push the higher end. All salary data from Robert Half and Dice 2026 surveys.
| Certification | Avg Salary Without | Avg Salary With | % Increase | Demand Rank |
|---|
What the Salary Numbers Actually Mean
IT certification salary figures are averages across roles, experience levels, and geographies — which hides significant variation. AWS Solutions Architect average salary is $145,000, but ranges from $95,000 in lower cost-of-living states to $175,000+ in California. CISSP holders average $120,000–$160,000. These numbers reflect certified professionals, not entry-level candidates who just passed the exam.
These figures are averages, which means they hide a lot. An AWS Certified Solutions Architect working at a startup in Omaha earns something very different from one at Amazon in Seattle. Both are in the average. Keep that in mind when reading the table.
The salary bump you see isn't purely from the certification. It reflects who pursues each cert. CISSP holders average $130,000–$160,000 not just because CISSP is impressive, but because only experienced security professionals with 5+ years of work history can get it. The cert and the experience arrive together. For newer certs like AWS Cloud Practitioner, the salary lift is smaller because entry-level candidates use it to break in, while senior architects use it as one of several credentials.
That said, certifications do move the needle in hiring. CompTIA's 2025 IT Industry Outlook surveyed 500 hiring managers. Certified candidates averaged 10–15% higher starting salaries for identical job titles. The effect was strongest in security and cloud roles, weakest in software development. If you're a developer, a GitHub portfolio outweighs any certification you can name. If you're targeting network administration, security analysis, or cloud architecture, certifications are closer to required.
Cloud certifications (AWS, Azure, GCP) show the highest percentage salary increases in this table because cloud roles pay more across the board, and the certs signal specific platform competency that employers pay for. AWS Solutions Architect Professional holders average $140,000–$170,000 in tech hubs. Azure certifications track closely behind.
Networking certifications like CCNA and CompTIA Network+ show smaller absolute salary increases but are important for getting into network administration roles. They also serve as prerequisites for higher certifications. CCNA is the entry point for Cisco's entire certification track, which tops out at CCIE, one of the most respected certs in networking.
Project management certifications (PMP, CAPM) show strong salary figures because IT project managers earn more than most individual contributors. The salary isn't tied to technical skills so much as responsibility level. PMP-certified project managers average $120,000–$150,000, but the role itself commands that, regardless of the cert.
One column worth more attention than it usually gets: Demand Rank. A cert with a 15% salary increase that's required in 40% of job postings is more valuable in practice than one with a 20% increase that's rarely mentioned. CISSP, AWS SAA, and CompTIA Security+ dominate job listings. That demand is what keeps the salary premium stable.
Salary data sourced from BLS Occupational Employment Statistics (OES), CompTIA IT Industry Outlook 2025, and Global Knowledge IT Skills and Salary Report. Demand rankings based on frequency in Dice.com and LinkedIn job postings.
Updated April 2026. Salary data based on industry surveys and BLS statistics.