Security engineer salary ranges in Washington DC
What open security postings in Washington DC say they pay: the top and the low end of the range each one states, in yearly dollars.
By level
How far the posted top moves from one level to the next, for security in Washington DC.
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Junior24 postings$106,000$98k–$129k
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Senior131 postings$196,000$166k–$229k
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Staff and principal30 postings$229,000$182k–$251k
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Manager and above52 postings$223,000$185k–$282k
Best-paying companies in Washington DC
Ranked by the median top of their open security postings in Washington DC, among companies with at least three that state pay.
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Anthropic19 with pay$365,000$330k–$405k
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OpenAI6 with pay$319,000$248k–$361k
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Twenty4 with pay$309,000$246k–$379k
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Scale AI7 with pay$297,000$291k–$327k
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Workday5 with pay$277,000$256k–$277k
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xAI6 with pay$258,000$258k–$258k
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Okta4 with pay$251,000$233k–$277k
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Databricks3 with pay$241,000$212k–$246k
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CACI5 with pay$238,000$218k–$266k
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Google7 with pay$236,000$211k–$252k
Security engineer pay by place
The same work in every place with enough postings, highest median first; Washington DC is marked.
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SF Bay Area1,046 postings$248,000$196k–$300k
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Seattle418 postings$227,000$194k–$258k
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Remote1,295 postings$202,000$165k–$252k
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Austin130 postings$202,000$168k–$234k
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New York709 postings$200,000$119k–$255k
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Boston208 postings$187,000$98k–$216k
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Philadelphia27 postings$175,000$94k–$249k
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Dallas130 postings$169,000$115k–$213k
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Raleigh–Durham24 postings$169,000$84k–$201k
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Washington DC615 postings$167,000$133k–$220k
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All of the US10,857 postings$165,000$83k–$220k
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Denver105 postings$163,000$104k–$220k
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San Diego111 postings$151,000$52k–$199k
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Chicago182 postings$150,000$65k–$195k
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Atlanta67 postings$150,000$103k–$205k
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Los Angeles208 postings$142,000$71k–$199k
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Salt Lake City27 postings$94,000$54k–$135k
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Miami37 postings$92,000$42k–$192k
Using these numbers
- Before you apply, check where the posting's own range sits against the middle half here. A range far below it is worth a question before you spend an afternoon on the application.
- When they ask what you expect, a figure inside the middle half for your level is one the market has already posted. Name the top of the posting's range if your experience matches what it asks for.
- Remember what a top is: the most a company says it may pay for the role. Offers land anywhere in the range, and equity and bonus are not in it.
Questions
How much do security engineer jobs pay in Washington DC?
Open security postings in Washington DC that state pay post a median top of $167,000 a year; the middle half runs from $133,000 to $220,000, and the median low end of the ranges is $110,000. That is from 615 postings as of October 14, 2026.
How does the pay change with level?
For security postings in Washington DC, the median posted top is $106,000 for junior, $196,000 for senior, $229,000 for staff and principal, $223,000 for manager and above.
Which companies post the most for security in Washington DC?
Among companies with at least three postings that state pay, Anthropic ($365,000), OpenAI ($319,000), Twenty ($309,000) post the highest median tops.
Where do these numbers come from?
From the pay ranges employers state in their own open job postings, which DonutApply reads from company job boards and public job feeds every day. They are what a company says it may pay for the role, not salaries anyone reported.
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