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Security-cleared workers' salaries rise 6%

March 26, 2008

The average annual salary for professionals with U.S. government security clearances rose 6% to $72,803 in 2007, according to an annual survey by ClearanceJobs.com, a job board specializing in jobs requiring security clearances. The average salary last year was $68,139.

Average salaries for security-cleared jobs were highest in the Washington DC area at $80,380, according to ClearanceJobs.com. And positions requiring federal government security clearances pay more than similar jobs that don't require clearances - security-cleared candidates earn an average of 22% more, according to the job board.

"With the quantity of qualified candidates in much shorter supply than the number of open jobs, wages for cleared candidates are expected to continue rising," said Evan Lesser, director and founder of ClearanceJobs.com. "Salaries increased for other reasons as well, including the shift of workers to higher-paying areas geographically as a result of the government's Base Realignment and Closure Act as well as the ongoing backlog of candidates awaiting clearance."