IC SIGINT & Cyber Analyst Salaries by Role and Level (2026)

Most salary pages for these roles are close to useless. They hand you one national average that blends a junior analyst in one city with a senior cleared operator near Fort Meade. The result describes no real job.

Here is the better way to read the market: compare cleared SIGINT and cyber analyst salaries by role, level, and technical scarcity. The title matters, but it is not the whole story. A Level 4 technical analyst on a hard to fill billet is playing a different compensation game than a Level 1 analyst entering the market.

The Short Answer

Ranges reflect public 2026 postings and salary aggregators reviewed for cleared full time roles in the Fort Meade and Annapolis Junction market. EA, CNDA, and SATD have fewer clean public comps, so those rows are directional and should be checked against current role pages.

How to Read These Numbers

• They come from public market signals. The notes reviewed postings and aggregates from USAJobs and NSA, CACI, Leidos, SAIC, Amentum, HII, RealmOne, Glassdoor, and Indeed.
• They are ranges, not a single number. Pay for the same title swings with level, clearance status, contract, education, scarce skill, and locality.
• They are estimates, not an offer. Use them to calibrate expectations and interview conversations, not as a promise of a specific package.
• They reflect early 2026 market data. Cleared compensation moves, so this page should be refreshed as the market changes.

Salary by Role

Target Analyst Reporter (TAR). Public ranges run roughly $75,000 to $196,000. Entry reporting roles tend to cluster near $90,000 to $110,000, while senior analysts can reach the high $100,000s. See the Target Analyst Reporter role.

Digital Network Exploitation Analyst (DNEA). Public ranges run roughly $100,000 to $231,000, with the ceiling pushed by technical scarcity. See the DNEA role and the DNEA explainer.

Target Digital Network Analyst (TDNA). Public ranges run roughly $75,000 to $210,000. Entry tends to sit near $90,000 to $100,000, while senior analysts can reach the low $200,000s on the right contract. See the TDNA role.

EA, CNDA, and SATD. These roles have fewer clean public comps, so treat the ranges as directional. EA tracks close to DNEA because it is a hands on technical neighbor. SATD tends to sit with technical roles because of its development demands. CNDA spans the defensive cyber market.

How Pay Scales by Level

Most cleared analyst contracts use a Level 1 to Level 4 structure, defined by relevant experience against education. DNEA is a useful concrete example.

1. Level 1: associate degree plus 4 years, or bachelor degree plus 2 years. You execute defined tasks under direction.
2. Level 2: associate degree plus 7 years, bachelor degree plus 5 years, master degree plus 2 to 3 years, or doctorate plus 2 years. You work most problems independently.
3. Level 3: associate degree plus 10 years, bachelor degree plus 8 years, master degree plus 6 years, or doctorate plus 4 years. You own ambiguous problems and mentor others.
4. Level 4: associate degree plus 13 years, bachelor degree plus 11 years, master degree plus 9 years, or doctorate plus 7 years. You set technical direction on the hardest work.

The level is usually the single biggest driver of the number. As a rough rule, each step up can be a $20,000 to $40,000 move. On technical roles, the distance from Level 1 to Level 3 can be $60,000 to $80,000 of base pay.

Federal vs. Contractor Pay

Federal roles tend to follow structured pay systems, locality adjustments, defined ceilings, and strong benefits. Contractor roles are tied to labor categories and contract economics, so ranges are wider and the ceiling is often higher.

Neither path is automatically better. Federal work trades some top end compensation for structure, benefits, and stability. Contractor work can create a higher ceiling and more movement between programs. Which one wins depends on what you value.

What Actually Drives Your Number

• Level. Get the level right before comparing anything else.
• Clearance status. An active TS/SCI clearance reduces hiring risk and can carry a premium.
• The contract. The labor category sets the ceiling, even when the job title sounds identical.
• Education and scarce skills. Deep CNE, real development skill, or rare mission experience pushes the top of the range.
• Locality. Fort Meade sits in the Washington and Baltimore labor market, and pay reflects that reality.

A Straight Word on the Top of the Range

The eye catching numbers are real, but they are usually senior, cleared, hard to fill billets. If you are early in your career, anchor on the entry band and build toward the ceiling. Do not benchmark your first offer against someone with a decade of mission experience on a difficult Level 4 requirement.

The Bottom Line

For these roles in 2026, entry sits around $90,000 to $110,000, mid career runs roughly $130,000 to $170,000, and senior cleared analysts reach into the $200,000s. The title matters less than level, clearance status, and contract fit. Line those three up and the number starts to make sense.

Not sure how the roles differ before you compare pay? Start with Intelligence Analyst Roles Compared or explore the full Cyber Intelligence & Target Analysis career cluster. For entry paths and LCAT levels, read how to become an IC intelligence analyst. For the reporting lane, read what a Target Analyst Reporter does. For target continuity, read what a Target Digital Network Analyst does. For the builder lane, read what a Signals Analytic Technique Developer does. For the defensive cyber lane, read what a Cyber Network Defense Analyst does. For the exploitation lane, read what an Exploitation Analyst does. If you are translating military cyber or SIGINT experience, read the military to contractor transition guide. For certification planning, read which certifications actually matter for cleared cyber and intelligence roles.

Frequently Asked Questions