Home / Apprenticeships / Occupations / Penetration Testers
Penetration Testers: apprenticeship hours and pay
O*NET-SOC 15-1299.04 · BLS: Computer Occupations, All Other
Approved titles
2
RAPIDS codes
Shortest term
2,000 h
longest minimum 2,500 h
National median pay
$116,580
a year, BLS May 2025
Jobs nationally
435,370
BLS May 2025
Approved apprenticeship titles
- Training approaches
- competency-based, hybrid, time-based
- Shortest approved term
- 2,000 hours, Hardware Hacker (competency-based)
- State medians
- $156,590 in District of Columbia to $60,470 in Puerto Rico (54 states publish one)
| Title | RAPIDS code | Approach and term |
|---|---|---|
| Hardware Hacker | 3021 | Competency-Based: 2,000 hours Hybrid: 2,000 to 3,000 hours Time-Based: 2,000 hours |
| Penetration Tester | 3030 | Competency-Based: 2,000 hours Competency-Based (V2): 2,500 hours Hybrid: 2,500 to 3,000 hours Time-Based: 2,500 hours |
What penetration testers earn, by state
| State | Median pay | Hourly | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $156,590 | $75.29 | 17,200 |
| Maryland | $144,680 | $69.56 | 19,060 |
| Colorado | $139,580 | $67.10 | 11,800 |
| Virginia | $139,030 | $66.84 | 17,000 |
| Delaware | $137,470 | $66.09 | 860 |
| California | $134,440 | $64.63 | 80,150 |
| Washington | $128,940 | $61.99 | 14,360 |
| Connecticut | $127,720 | $61.40 | 3,100 |
| New Mexico | $127,090 | $61.10 | 1,650 |
| Hawaii | $120,100 | $57.74 | 2,080 |
| New York | $116,990 | $56.25 | 11,460 |
| South Carolina | $112,260 | $53.97 | 4,300 |
| Texas | $111,530 | $53.62 | 57,020 |
| Vermont | $111,530 | $53.62 | 1,320 |
| Ohio | $109,780 | $52.78 | 6,150 |
| Massachusetts | $109,590 | $52.69 | 6,170 |
| New Jersey | $108,310 | $52.07 | 12,010 |
| Maine | $107,990 | $51.92 | 900 |
| Iowa | $107,340 | $51.61 | 3,850 |
| Pennsylvania | $107,230 | $51.55 | 14,580 |
| West Virginia | $107,140 | $51.51 | 3,380 |
| Alabama | $106,330 | $51.12 | 2,630 |
| Alaska | $105,960 | $50.94 | 710 |
| Michigan | $105,680 | $50.81 | 7,440 |
| Florida | $105,370 | $50.66 | 13,710 |
| South Dakota | $105,370 | $50.66 | 240 |
| Arizona | $105,240 | $50.60 | 5,510 |
| North Carolina | $104,850 | $50.41 | 15,090 |
| Georgia | $104,610 | $50.29 | 20,630 |
| Kansas | $103,380 | $49.70 | 1,340 |
| Oklahoma | $102,520 | $49.29 | 3,320 |
| Rhode Island | $102,210 | $49.14 | 830 |
| Missouri | $101,040 | $48.58 | 14,340 |
| Nevada | $100,220 | $48.18 | 2,610 |
| Illinois | $99,360 | $47.77 | 11,160 |
| Idaho | $98,700 | $47.45 | 1,040 |
| Utah | $97,470 | $46.86 | 6,680 |
| Oregon | $97,350 | $46.80 | 2,450 |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | $96,180 | $46.24 | 40 |
| Wyoming | $94,520 | $45.44 | 170 |
| Indiana | $93,540 | $44.97 | 3,340 |
| Nebraska | $92,480 | $44.46 | 2,280 |
| Minnesota | $91,750 | $44.11 | 4,180 |
| New Hampshire | $91,720 | $44.10 | 970 |
| Kentucky | $89,420 | $42.99 | 1,850 |
| Wisconsin | $88,130 | $42.37 | 4,680 |
| Arkansas | $86,940 | $41.80 | 1,120 |
| Mississippi | $86,940 | $41.80 | 1,450 |
| Montana | $81,970 | $39.41 | 540 |
| North Dakota | $78,330 | $37.66 | 730 |
| Louisiana | $77,000 | $37.02 | 5,020 |
| Guam | $76,770 | $36.91 | 280 |
| Tennessee | $76,470 | $36.77 | 10,930 |
| Puerto Rico | $60,470 | $29.07 | 880 |
Finding a program
How to find a sponsor that trains this title · Apprenticeship sponsors by state (25,633) · All approved occupations
- Approved titles and terms: apprenticeship.gov approved occupations list, Last-Modified October 8, 2026, read October 8, 2026.
- Pay and jobs: BLS OEWS, May 2025, all industries, read October 8, 2026.