Defense and National Security salary: $193K median
The median advertised Defense and National Security salary is $193K a year, and the middle half of postings offer $164K to $226K: counted from 378 open roles that publish a yearly US-dollar range: about $93 an hour or $16,083 a month. A tenth of the postings offer $293K or more. Advertised ranges, not verified pay.
Check an offer against these figuresAll defense and national security jobs
$193Kmedian advertised salary
$164K – $226Kmiddle half of roles
$202Kaverage advertised salary
378roles counted
Defense and National Security salary by level
Lead roles advertise a median of $222K, 15% more than senior roles ($193K). The level comes from the job title; titles without a level word are counted separately.
| Level | Median salary | Middle half | Roles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senior | $193K | $170K–$215K | 74 |
| Lead and above | $222K | $190K–$262K | 121 |
| No level in the title | $178K | $150K–$214K | 180 |
Defense and National Security salary by location
| Name | Median salary | Roles counted |
|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸Washington, DC | $200K | 81 |
| 🇺🇸San Francisco Bay Area | $200K | 23 |
| 🇺🇸California | $194K | 126 |
| 🇺🇸United States | $193K | 355 |
| 🇺🇸Los Angeles, CA | $193K | 33 |
| 🇺🇸Denver, CO | $192K | 15 |
Skills that pay more for Defense and National Security roles
| Skill | Median with it | Above the median | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|
| C++ | $202K | +$10K | 53 |
| Security clearance | $194K | +$2K | 187 |
| Computer Vision | $194K | +$2K | 112 |
| Sensor fusion | $194K | +$0K | 105 |
Top-paying companies
| Name | Median salary | Roles counted |
|---|---|---|
| Anthropic | $415K | 3 |
| Wirescreen | $315K | 3 |
| OpenAI | $298K | 5 |
| Rocket Lab | $282K | 6 |
| Trm Labs | $276K | 5 |
| Horizon3ai | $250K | 13 |
| Red Cell Partners | $236K | 4 |
| Airspace Intelligence.com | $235K | 9 |
| Thread Ai | $215K | 4 |
| Databricks | $214K | 4 |
| Scale AI | $214K | 6 |
| Appian Corporation | $212K | 10 |
| Planet | $204K | 10 |
| Applied | $200K | 13 |
| Shield AI | $200K | 4 |
| Saronic | $197K | 3 |
| RAND | $197K | 3 |
| True Anomaly | $195K | 8 |
| Anduril Industries | $193K | 105 |
| Zscaler | $188K | 3 |
| SpaceX | $188K | 4 |
| Astranis | $188K | 4 |
| Pure Storage | $186K | 4 |
| Accenture Federal Services | $184K | 8 |
| Rivet | $170K | 3 |
Highest-paying open Defense and National Security roles
All defense and national security jobs- Head of National Security Sales (DoW/IC)Anthropic · 🇺🇸Washington, DC$550K - $700KLead and aboveSecurity clearanceFedRAMPPerformance management
- Senior Director, Business Development - National Security (TS/SCI Clearance)Rocket Lab · 🇺🇸Chantilly, VA$214K - $522KLead and aboveSecurity clearanceMS ProjectCRM
- Head of Sales, Defense & IntelligenceCohere · 🇨🇦Toronto$350K - $500KRemoteLead and aboveGerman
- Enterprise Account Executive, DoW/ICAnthropic · 🇺🇸Washington, DC$380K - $450KSecurity clearanceSolution sellingProcurement
- Strategic Business Development Executive (Private Defense & Aerospace)Foxglove · Remote$350K - $450KRemote
- Senior Director, Business Development - National Security (TS/SCI Clearance)Rocket Lab · 🇺🇸Littleton, CO$196K - $448KLead and aboveSecurity clearanceMS ProjectCRM
- Deputy General Counsel, National SecurityRed Cell Partners · 🇺🇸Washington, D.C.$360K - $440K
- Senior Director, Global Cyber DefenseDoorDash USA · 🇺🇸United States - Remote$350K - $437KRemoteLead and above
- Account Executive - ArmyDdn · 🇺🇸Remote - District of Columbia$350K - $400KRemote
- Staff Engineer (Defense)Airspace Intelligence.com · 🇺🇸Boston, US$300K - $400KLead and aboveRustPythonTypeScript
- Federal Sales Manager, Intelligence CommunityOkta · 🇺🇸Washington, DC$288K - $396KMachine LearningSecurity clearanceFedRAMP
- Mission Systems LeadAnduril Industries · 🇺🇸Costa Mesa, California, United States$298K - $395KLead and aboveComputer VisionSecurity clearanceNetwork engineering
- VP Production, Mission SystemsAnduril Industries · 🇺🇸Costa Mesa, California, United States$252K - $382KLead and aboveComputer VisionSensor fusionLean manufacturing
- Senior Federal Account Executive, DoWHorizon3ai · 🇺🇸Washington, DC$325K - $380KSenior
- Senior Federal Account Executive, Intelligence CommunityHorizon3ai · 🇺🇸Washington, DC$325K - $380KSenior
- Strategic Account Executive, Space ForceDatabricks · 🇺🇸Remote - California; Remote - Colorado$272K - $374KRemoteSolution sellingProspecting
- Federal Account Executive, DHSCloudflare · Hybrid$269K - $370KHybridDNSContract negotiation
- Strategic Delivery Lead, National SecurityOpenAI · 🇺🇸Washington, DC$266K - $370KHybridLead and aboveSecurity clearanceOpenAI APIPRDs
- Vice President Defense and Intelligence EngineeringPlanet · 🇺🇸San Francisco, CA$293K - $366KLead and aboveMachine LearningLLMAWS
- Federal Account Executive, Named Accounts (DOW)Censys · DMV Area$300K - $360KThreat intelligenceProspectingCold calling
Questions about Defense and National Security pay
- What is the average Defense and National Security salary?
- $202K a year on average and $193K at the median, across 378 open Defense and National Security postings at companies that state pay (November 2026). The median is the better guide: a few very high offers pull the average up.
- What is the typical range?
- The middle half of the postings offer $164K to $226K a year. A quarter offer less and a quarter offer more.
- Which companies advertise the highest Defense and National Security pay?
- Anthropic ($415K), Wirescreen ($315K), OpenAI ($298K), by the median of their open postings that state pay (three postings or more).
- Is a defense and national security a high-paying job?
- The median Defense and National Security posting advertises $193K a year, more than the median of all 55,899 job postings with pay on Jobs Every Hour ($174K). That is 11% above the middle of the market.
- How much can you earn as a defense and national security?
- A tenth of the postings offer $293K a year or more; the highest open Defense and National Security role advertises up to $700K. Pay rises with level: see the table by level.
- What is the Defense and National Security salary per hour and per month?
- The median of $193K a year is about $93 an hour (2,080 working hours) and $16,083 a month before tax. The middle half of postings: $79 to $109 an hour.
- Which skills pay more for Defense and National Security roles?
- Postings that ask for C++ (+$10K, 53 postings), Security clearance (+$2K, 187 postings), Computer Vision (+$2K, 112 postings) advertise more than the $193K median of all Defense and National Security postings with pay.
- Where do these figures come from?
- From the pay ranges employers print in their own job postings, read from their careers pages every hour. The midpoint of each range is counted. These are advertised ranges for open roles, mostly in the United States and in US dollars, not what people are actually paid.
Writing about this? A sentence you can quote
The median advertised salary for Defense and National Security roles at companies is $193K a year, and the middle half of postings offer $164K to $226K. Counted from 378 open job postings that state pay, November 2026. Source: Jobs Every Hour, https://jobseveryhour.com/salaries/defense/
Free to use with the link.