Cleared Jobs Index, October 2026
On October 31, 2026, ClearMatch counted 56,389 active job postings requiring a security clearance or Public Trust. Washington, DC had the most cleared work for its population, 28.4× what its share of US residents predicts, and Virginia had the most postings outright, 12,437.
This is the month-end edition, fixed so it can be cited. The live Cleared Jobs Index updates every day.
56,389 cleared postings · 931 remote · As of October 31, 2026
Which states had the most cleared jobs in October 2026?
Virginia led with 12,437 cleared postings, then Maryland (8,531) and California (5,658). The index ranks them by postings per resident.
| Rank | State | Index | Postings | Per 100k |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington, DC | 28.40 | 3,197 | 461 |
| 2 | Virginia | 8.63 | 12,437 | 140 |
| 3 | Maryland | 8.39 | 8,531 | 136 |
| 4 | Colorado | 3.14 | 3,061 | 51 |
| 5 | Alabama | 3.00 | 2,528 | 49 |
| 6 | Hawaii | 2.52 | 586 | 41 |
| 7 | New Hampshire | 1.67 | 383 | 27 |
| 8 | Utah | 1.66 | 953 | 27 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | 1.53 | 1,781 | 25 |
| 10 | New Mexico | 1.52 | 524 | 25 |
| 11 | Rhode Island | 1.46 | 264 | 24 |
| 12 | Alaska | 1.23 | 147 | 20 |
| 13 | Arizona | 0.92 | 1,141 | 15 |
| 14 | California | 0.89 | 5,658 | 14 |
| 15 | Florida | 0.76 | 2,891 | 12 |
| 16 | Ohio | 0.68 | 1,308 | 11 |
| 17 | South Carolina | 0.65 | 590 | 11 |
| 18 | Oklahoma | 0.56 | 374 | 9 |
| 19 | Nevada | 0.54 | 286 | 9 |
| 20 | Nebraska | 0.45 | 147 | 7 |
| 21 | Indiana | 0.44 | 502 | 7 |
| 22 | West Virginia | 0.42 | 120 | 7 |
| 23 | Missouri | 0.41 | 421 | 7 |
| 24 | Texas | 0.41 | 2,117 | 7 |
| 25 | Connecticut | 0.41 | 243 | 7 |
| 26 | North Carolina | 0.39 | 708 | 6 |
| 27 | Washington | 0.36 | 466 | 6 |
| 28 | Georgia | 0.36 | 658 | 6 |
| 29 | Mississippi | 0.35 | 166 | 6 |
| 30 | Iowa | 0.32 | 170 | 5 |
| 31 | North Dakota | 0.31 | 40 | 5 |
| 32 | Pennsylvania | 0.30 | 638 | 5 |
| 33 | Idaho | 0.29 | 96 | 5 |
| 34 | New Jersey | 0.28 | 432 | 5 |
| 35 | Illinois | 0.25 | 517 | 4 |
| 36 | Arkansas | 0.24 | 122 | 4 |
| 37 | Wyoming | 0.24 | 23 | 4 |
| 38 | Vermont | 0.21 | 22 | 3 |
| 39 | Tennessee | 0.20 | 233 | 3 |
| 40 | South Dakota | 0.18 | 28 | 3 |
| 41 | Kentucky | 0.15 | 112 | 2 |
| 42 | Maine | 0.13 | 30 | 2 |
| 43 | Montana | 0.13 | 24 | 2 |
| 44 | Minnesota | 0.12 | 118 | 2 |
| 45 | New York | 0.12 | 375 | 2 |
| 46 | Louisiana | 0.10 | 78 | 2 |
| 47 | Kansas | 0.09 | 45 | 2 |
| 48 | Michigan | 0.08 | 127 | 1 |
| 49 | Delaware | 0.05 | 9 | 1 |
| 50 | Oregon | 0.03 | 18 | 0 |
| 51 | Wisconsin | 0.01 | 13 | 0 |
What clearance did cleared jobs require in October 2026?
29% of cleared postings required TS/SCI or higher, and 15% required a polygraph.
- Public Trust
- 3,732 · 7%
- Confidential
- 61 · 0%
- Secret
- 27,790 · 49%
- Top Secret
- 8,298 · 15%
- TS/SCI
- 8,243 · 15%
- TS/SCI + CI Poly
- 3,967 · 7%
- TS/SCI + Full Scope Poly
- 4,298 · 8%
Which cleared job families were largest in October 2026?
Systems & Hardware was the largest, with 12,617 postings, 22% of the total.
- 1. Systems & Hardware12,617
- 2. Software Engineer9,284
- 3. Management5,334
- 4. Technical (other)4,791
- 5. IT Support3,928
- 6. Trades3,798
- 7. Cybersecurity3,678
- 8. Intelligence1,988
- 9. Supply Chain1,637
- 10. Admin1,469
What did cleared jobs pay in October 2026?
TS/SCI postings listed a typical salary range of $115k to $174k, from 2,346 postings that stated pay.
- Public Trust
- $97k–$138k · 1,135
- Secret
- $98k–$158k · 7,745
- Top Secret
- $118k–$173k · 2,486
- TS/SCI
- $115k–$174k · 2,346
- TS/SCI + CI Poly
- $128k–$191k · 1,597
- TS/SCI + Full Scope Poly
- $141k–$200k · 1,594
The median posted floor to the median posted ceiling, from the 16,906 cleared postings that stated an annual salary range.
How to cite this edition
ClearMatch Cleared Jobs Index, October 2026 (data as of October 31, 2026), getclearmatch.com/cleared-jobs-index/2026-10. The method is described on the live index.