CertifyDeckAn identity and access administrator earns about $129,180 a year in the United States, the median for security analysts. In Spain it is €35,000 to €45,000 gross, on an average of €38,234 across security roles; in Mexico 17,200 pesos a month and in Colombia 3.5 million. It is a security specialty you can reach well from systems administration.
Security and identity salary by country
Identity management sits inside security teams, and the job title that covers it in postings is security analyst.
| Country | Average salary | Usual range |
|---|---|---|
| United States | $129,180 a year | $75,090 – $199,850 |
| Spain | €38,234 a year | €23,537 – €62,106 |
| Mexico | MXN 17,195 a month | MXN 11,055 – 26,745 |
| Colombia | COP 3,541,246 a month | COP 1,552,164 – 8,079,316 |
United States: median and 10th–90th percentiles for "Information Security Analysts", Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025. Indeed, "IT security analyst": Spain (61 salaries, 24 Sep 2026), Mexico (326, 18 Sep 2026) and Colombia (43, 18 Sep 2026).
What postings pay today
Of the 152 cybersecurity postings live in Spain today, several ask specifically for identity: identity management (IAM) profiles in Madrid, digital identity consulting in Barcelona and a senior engineer role with Defender XDR, Entra ID and Purview. These are the ones that publish a salary:
An identity administrator working with Microsoft Entra sits between those two figures: our estimate for Spain is €35,000 to €45,000, and above €50,000 when the role includes designing the access architecture.
| Role | Location | Gross annual salary |
|---|---|---|
| Linux systems and SIEM technician | Valencia, hybrid | €33,000 – €39,000 |
| Global Security Architect | Madrid | €48,000 – €60,000 |
Tecnoempleo postings on 2 October 2026. The €35,000–45,000 range is a CertifyDeck estimate based on Indeed's average and these postings.
Why identity pays more than systems
Because access is the first thing an attacker goes after. Whoever decides who gets in, by what method and to which resources carries a responsibility that someone maintaining servers does not: a badly set Conditional Access policy locks the whole company out or leaves the door open. That responsibility is paid: about €8,000 more a year on average than systems administration in Spain.
Demand follows. In the United States, the official projection is 21% growth in security analyst employment by 2035, while systems administrator employment declines.
City matters as well: in Barcelona the security analyst average rises to €53,436 and in Mexico City to 20,044 pesos a month.
Where SC-300 fits
SC-300 (Microsoft Identity and Access Administrator) is the exam for that job: user identities (20–25%), authentication and access management (25–30%), workload identities (20–25%) and identity governance (20–25%). Conditional Access, MFA, Privileged Identity Management, access reviews and Global Secure Access are all in.
For a systems administrator it is the shortest step into security: it starts from what you already do with users and groups and takes it to what a security team needs. The outline changes on 28 October; we explain it in SC-300 changes on 28 October 2026.
If you are thinking about taking SC-300
First measure how much you know about Conditional Access and identity governance. On CertifyDeck you can start free, with no card, with SC-300 questions and an explanation on each. Go to the SC-300 practice questions.
The study plan is in how to pass SC-300.
Frequently asked questions
How much does an identity and access administrator make in the US?
The closest official figure is the security analyst median: $129,180 a year (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025), with the lowest 10% under $75,090 and the highest 10% over $199,850.
How much does an identity administrator make in Spain?
Between €35,000 and €45,000 gross a year by our estimate, on an average of €38,234 for security analyst on Indeed (61 salaries, September 2026).
Is there work in identity management?
Yes. Among the cybersecurity postings published in Spain in October 2026 several are identity-specific (IAM), and in the United States security employment is projected to grow 21% by 2035.
Where do the figures come from?
From Indeed's salary pages for each country (salaries published in job postings), the US Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook and Tecnoempleo postings with a salary range, checked on 2 October 2026. The range for identity administrators is our own estimate. They are gross amounts, excluding bonuses and benefits.