One in five North American IT professionals holds at least one CompTIA certificate.
IT professionals with at least one certification are generally more productive, have higher salaries and are happier in their jobs than their non-certified peers.
CompTIA certifications are a strong market position, especially for those who want to build foundational skills and enter the industry. CompTIA’s vendor neutral certifications are a great way to get the knowledge you need to build a career in IT.
CompTIA certifications are highly-paid
These are the three highest-paying CompTIA certificates in the annual Global Knowledge IT Skills and Salary Report (minimum 100 North American respondents):
CompTIA Linux+Linux+ ranks 21st among North American IT professionals with an average salary at $103,198. This certification is for IT professionals who use Linux in cloud and mobile security, web administration, and other applications.
CompTIA Security+Security+ is ranked 25th in North America, with an average salary at $99,609. It is the most sought-after CompTIA certification. It is often the first security certification that an IT professional will receive.
CompTIA Project+Project+ ranks 26th across North America with an average salary $98,986. High average salaries for project management certifications, especially in North America ($125 797), are common.
CompTIA Network+ and CompTIA A+ are also very popular credentials. Nearly 800 respondents have the A+ certification and 587 have their Network+. These numbers show that A+ is becoming more popular among IT professionals.
62% of IT professionals are certified in Security+, 59% A+, 44% Network+.
CompTIA-certified professionals will be more likely to be cross-certified in cybersecurity and Microsoft.
By the numbers: CompTIA certified professionals
We can see a clearer picture of CompTIA-certified professionals and their roles based on the data we gathered from respondents to our IT Skills and Salary Report. CompTIA-certified professionals can work in many different professions because their certifications are not tied to any particular vendor.
Top five functional areas of 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 workers:
Government: Military and Homeland Security – 15%
IT-related services – 9 %
Healthcare – 9%
Government: Nondefense, state local – 8%
Banking and finance – 7.7%
CompTIA-certified professionals at each responsibility level
Non-management (e.g. analyst) – 39%
Mid-level (e.g. Team leader – 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 (N10-017)
CompTIA Cloud+ CVO-012
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