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There’s a reason why one out of five certified IT professionals in North America hold at least one CompTIA certification.
IT professionals who hold at least one certification have higher salaries, are more productive and generally are more satisfied in their job than their non-certified peers.
CompTIA certifications hold a strong position in the market—especially for tech professionals trying to develop foundational skills and break into the industry. The knowledge gained in preparing for many of CompTIA’s vendor-neutral certifications prove to be the building blocks for many IT careers.
Top-paying CompTIA certifications
The three highest-paying CompTIA certifications in the annual Global Knowledge IT Skills and Salary Report (minimum 100 North American respondents) are:
CompTIA Linux+
Linux+ ranks 21st in North America with an average salary of $103,198. This certification is designed for IT professionals who use Linux in cloud, cybersecurity, mobile and web administration applications.
CompTIA Security+
Security+ ranks 25th in North America with an average salary of $99,609. It’s the most popular CompTIA certification. It is also often the first security certification an IT professional will earn.
CompTIA Project+
Project+ ranks 26th in North American with an average salary of $98,986. Project management certifications in general have high average salaries, especially in North America ($125,797).
CompTIA A+ and Network+ are also widely popular credentials. Nearly 800 survey respondents hold the A+ certification, while another 587 have their Network+. These numbers prove that more and more professionals are turning to A+ to start a career in IT and Network+ to gain vendor-neutral expertise for managing network infrastructure.
In terms of IT professionals who hold at least one CompTIA certification, 62% are certified in Security+, 59% in A+, and 44% in Network+.
CompTIA-certified professionals are most likely to be cross-certified in cybersecurity, Microsoft and Cisco.
By the numbers: CompTIA-certified professionals
The data provided from survey respondents in our IT Skills and Salary Report provide us with a sharper picture of CompTIA-certified professionals and the roles they serve. Since their certifications are vendor-neutral, CompTIA-certified individuals work in a wide-range of professions.
Top five functional areas for CompTIA-certified professionals:
- Cybersecurity/IT Security – 31%
- Infrastructure/Networking and Telecommunications – 20%
- Service Desk and IT Support – 18%
- IT Architecture and Design – 7%
- IT Compliance/Audit – 4%
Top five industries for CompTIA-certified professionals:
- Government: Military and homeland security – 15%
- IT-related services – 9%
- Healthcare – 9%
- Government: Nondefense, state local – 8%
- Banking and finance – 7%
CompTIA-certified professionals by responsibility level:
- Non-management (e.g. analyst) – 39%
- Mid-level (e.g. team lead) – 42%
- Senior-level (e.g. senior engineer) – 18%
- Executive (e.g. CEO) – 1%
Recommended courses
- CompTIA Training Courses
- CompTIA A+ Certification Prep
- Security+ Certification Prep Course
- CompTIA Network+ Certification Prep (N10-007)
- CompTIA Cloud+ CVO-002
