TS/SCI Cyber Jobs in 2026: The Cleared Cybersecurity Career Guide
TS/SCI cyber jobs pay $130K-$190K in 2026, a $30-45K premium over commercial cyber. See agencies, certs, and the 12-18 month clearance path.
Salary Overview
Average Salary
- $149,398 DC TS/SCI cyber average, 2026 (ZipRecruiter aggregate)
Salary Premiums
- +$45K Top end full-scope clearance premium (ClearanceJobs 2024)
Clearance Investigation Window
- 12-18 mo Typical initial TS/SCI investigation window in 2026 (DCSA)
A Top Secret / Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) clearance is the single highest-use credential a cybersecurity professional can hold in the U.S. Labor market in 2026. The premium is not theoretical. ZipRecruiter’s aggregated postings for TS/SCI cybersecurity analysts in the Washington DC locality average $149,398 in 2026, against the Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS Information Security Analyst national median of $124,910 in the May 2024 release. The ClearanceJobs 2024 Compensation Report places the cleared cyber premium at roughly $30,000 to $45,000 over commercial equivalents at the mid-career band, with a full-scope polygraph adding another $20,000 to $40,000 on top. That spread is the price the federal government, the intelligence community, and their prime contractors pay to access a workforce that has been investigated, polygraphed, and adjudicated to handle the most sensitive compartments of national security information.
Cleared Cybersecurity Market Dynamics
The cleared cybersecurity hiring market is also unusual in that it is supply-constrained, not demand-constrained. The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) investigation throughput is a hard ceiling on how fast new TS/SCI holders enter the workforce, and the agency has been working through a multi-year backlog of initial and periodic-reinvestigation cases since the 2018 transfer of the security clearance mission out of the legacy National Background Investigations Bureau and the subsequent rollout of Trusted Workforce 2.0. The PRC’s Volt Typhoon campaign — the People’s Republic of China’s pre-positioning operations inside U.S. Critical infrastructure that CISA Director Jen Easterly confirmed in a February 2024 statement — accelerated cleared cyber hiring across the Department of Defense, the intelligence community, and CISA itself. That structural shortage is the reason a portable, current TS/SCI is worth more in 2026 than most of the certifications stacked on top of it.
What does TS/SCI actually mean?
Top Secret is the third tier of the U.S. Government’s three-level collateral classification system, above Confidential and Secret. The investigative basis is the Tier 5 background investigation, governed by the Federal Investigative Standards and conducted by DCSA. SCI — Sensitive Compartmented Information — is not a clearance level. It is an access caveat layered on top of an existing Top Secret eligibility, granting read-in rights to one or more intelligence community compartments under the Director of National Intelligence’s authority. A TS/SCI holder has passed the Tier 5 plus the additional SCI adjudication standards defined in Intelligence Community Directive 704, and in most intelligence and DoD cyber roles will also have completed a counterintelligence or full-scope polygraph examination. The 13 adjudicative guidelines applied at every stage are codified in Security Executive Agent Directive 4 (SEAD-4).
The practical difference between a plain Top Secret and a TS/SCI is the set of contracts and program offices that will return your call. Cyber roles at the National Security Agency, the Central Intelligence Agency, the Defense Intelligence Agency, the National Reconnaissance Office, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, and U.S. Cyber Command effectively require TS/SCI eligibility as a floor.
Salary by Role and Locality
Salary Ranges
| Role (cleared cyber, 2026) | Commercial range | TS/SCI cleared range | Clearance premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| SOC Analyst, Tier 1 | $55,000–$78,000 | $75,000–$105,000 | +$20K–$27K |
| SOC Analyst, Senior | $85,000–$120,000 | $115,000–$165,000 | +$30K–$45K |
| Penetration Tester | $67,000–$151,000 | $95,000–$190,000 | +$28K–$39K |
| Cybersecurity Analyst, DC | $95,000–$130,000 | $130,000–$170,000 | +$35K–$40K |
| Security Engineer | $85,000–$160,000 | $120,000–$200,000 | +$35K–$40K |
Federal civilian roles follow the General Schedule and the 2210 Information Technology Management job series.
Agencies Hiring TS/SCI Cyber Talent in 2026
Roughly six federal customers and a dozen prime contractors drive the bulk of TS/SCI cyber demand.
| Agency (2026) | Headquarters | Cyber mission focus | Typical clearance bar | Common career-entry route |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSA | Fort Meade, MD | SIGINT, cryptanalysis, cyber operations, defensive cyber | TS/SCI with full-scope polygraph | NSA Development Program; civilian direct hire; service cryptologic ratings |
| USCYBERCOM | Fort Meade, MD | Defensive + offensive cyber operations; National Mission Force | TS/SCI; full-scope poly for some mission elements | Military cyber career fields; civilian DoD 8140 billets |
| DISA | Fort Meade, MD | DoD network defense, DODIN operations, JFHQ-DODIN | TS/SCI for most cyber billets | Civilian GS-2210; prime contractor task orders |
| CISA | Arlington, VA | Critical infrastructure protection, federal civilian cyber defense, JCDC | Secret minimum; TS/SCI for many hunt and JCDC roles | Cyber Talent Management System direct hire; GS-2210 |
| FBI Cyber Division | Washington, DC | Criminal + national-security cyber investigations; attribution | TS with SCI eligibility | Special Agent route; computer scientist civilian path |
| DIA | Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, DC | All-source intel; Defense Cyber Crime Center support | TS/SCI; CI polygraph standard | DIA civilian; service intelligence MOS transfer |
Certifications for TS/SCI Cyber Careers
| Certification (2026) | Issuer | List cost (2026) | Typical prep | DoD 8140 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Security+ | CompTIA | $404 | 90 hrs | Yes — IAT II baseline |
| CySA+ | CompTIA | $404 | 120 hrs | Yes — CSSP Analyst |
| CISSP | ISC2 | $749 | 150 hrs | Yes — IAT III + IAM III |
| OSCP | OffSec | $1,649 (PEN-200 bundle) | 300+ hrs | Yes — CSSP Auditor |
| GCIH | GIAC | $979 challenge / $2,499 via SANS | 120 hrs | Yes — CSSP Incident Responder |
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get a TS/SCI without a college degree?
Yes. Neither the Tier 5 investigation nor the SCI adjudication under ICD 704 has a degree requirement.
Will marijuana use disqualify me from a TS/SCI?
Recent marijuana use creates a material adjudicative concern under Security Executive Agent Directive 4 Guideline H.
How much does a polygraph add to a TS/SCI salary?
A clean counterintelligence polygraph adds roughly $10,000 to $20,000 over a non-polygraphed TS/SCI of equivalent role.
Can foreign nationals or dual citizens get a TS/SCI?
U.S. Citizenship is a hard prerequisite for any TS/SCI.
How long can a TS/SCI stay active after I leave a cleared job?
Eligibility is administratively debriefed when you leave the sponsoring program. Reinstatement without a new investigation is generally available for up to 24 months from debrief date.