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Average CCNP salary [updated 2021]

The CCNP, or Cisco Certified Network Professional, is a certification endorsing IT professionals who have the knowhow and skill to set up, configure and manage local and wide-area networks within an enterprise. CCNP certification takes you through video, voice, wireless and advanced security issues. Since the training module and examinations for the CCNP certification are rigorous, companies prefer to have CCNP-certified professionals on their teams, as their expertise has been verified. 

Ensuring smooth functioning of network systems is a necessity for any company, and CCNP professionals are qualified to handle both small and large networks. CCNP certification lets companies rest easy, knowing they have the right person for the job.

2021 CCNP certified professional median salary by city

In city-wise rankings, San Jose, California, takes top position. The city businesses pay generously for CCNP professionals. As evident from the PayScale statistics below, this city has the highest median salary for a network administrator with CCNP certification, followed by New York and Washington, D.C.

City CCNP salary data

New York, New York $71,000

Chicago, Illinois $67,000

Atlanta, Georgia $64,000

Houston, Texas $65,000

Dallas, Texas $63,000

Washington, District of Columbia $69,000

San Jose, California $80,000

2020 CCNP certification median salary by experience

From PayScale figures, the average salary for a CCNP-certified network administrator is $59,762, but starts at $49,485 and ranges up to $70,644 as seniority increases. Salaries vary greatly with job roles, with a CCNP-qualified network engineer earning, on average, $74,191.

Needless to say, the salary offered increases as the years of job experience go higher. It is also very likely that the nature of projects handled by the candidate can be a decisive factor with regards to the amount of salary paid.

The salaries below reflect those of a network administrator:

Years of experience National CCNP salary data

Less than 1 year $49,384

1-4 years $53,672

5-9 years $60,666

10-19 years $65,691

20+ years $70,644

Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) average by job

The job titles commonly associated with CCNP are network administrator and network engineer, which are entry-level positions. Mid- and senior-level job titles include senior network engineer, senior systems engineer — computer networking and IT, IT manager, IT director and network architect.

The positions of IT director and network architect are high-level titles in the CCNP hierarchy and come with a six-figure salary depending, of course, on the candidate profile. Many CCNP-certified individuals working as IT managers also draw a six-figure salary.

Job Average salary with CCNP certification

Network engineer $84,339

Sr. network engineer $106,592

Network architect $122,253

Network administrator $70,601

Information technology (IT) manager $94,072

Network security engineer $93,930

Information technology (IT) director $110,804

SheThe gender breakdown of CCNP certified professional salaries for certification holders reflects poorly on the industry. PayScale found that in 2020, male CCNA certification holders made up 95.8% of the market, with salaries spanning from $63,000 to $136,000. Female CCNA certification holders made up only 4.1% of the market, with salaries of between $59,000 and $124,000.

CCNP professionals can find employment in a variety of industries like healthcare, financial services, telecommunications, information technology services, IT consulting and network and communication services. CCNP professionals are also frequently employed in the federal government, state governments and non- profit organizations. According to PayScale, those working on a freelance or contract basis earn a median salary on par with permanent employees.

Sources

Salary for Certification: Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP), PayScale

If you're looking to start prepping for the exam, we have a collection of CCNP related resources to help get you started.

• Updates to the CCNP (July 2014)
• Demystifying the CCNP Route Exam
• Demystifying the CCNP TSHOOT Exam
• Demystifying the CCNP Switch Exam
• Interview with Darby Weaver, CCNP Exam Content Developer

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