WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Individuals who have security clearances earn about 20 percent more than those in the same jobs who lack them, according to a new report.

ClearanceJobs, a company that finds jobs for clients with security clearances, released a survey Tuesday that looked at trends regarding security clearance and salary both nationally and regionally. It found that security-cleared candidates in Virginia were the highest paid in the metro area. The Reston area had the highest average annual salary for such candidates at $87,660. Maryland, D.C. and Virginia are in the top five states with the highest salaries for those with clearances. Nationally, candidates with clearances earn about $15,000 more than those without them, the report said.

“It’s the hottest ticket in town. It’s in many cases better than having an MBA.,” said Paul Villella, chief executive officer of Reston-based recruitment firm HireStrategy.

Demand for clearances exceeds supply, as it takes months or even years to get clearances. Many baby boomers with clearances have also been retiring recently, said Evan Lesser, CEO of ClearanceJobs.

Candidates with clearance are normally juggling multiple competing job offers, and military personnel are finding a niche there because they return from duty with a two-year clearance, said Bradford Rand, CEO of TechExpo, a company that runs recruitment fairs for job candidates with clearances, including one yesterday in D.C. which attracted 55 companies.

“If a soldier has good skill sets in the IT arena, he’ll have a job offer in five minutes,” Rand said.

The high demand for cleared candidates has increased over the years, according to Villella. The process for obtaining a clearance has gotten stricter, and often there are not enough employees handling clearances to speed up the process, Villella said. Jobs also are requiring higher levels of clearance than they have before, said Mike Prencipe, a partner at D.C.-based H.R. Staffing Solutions. Experts expect the trend will continue during the next few years, as homeland security remains a concern and the clearance process continues to be sluggish.

melissa.frederick@dcxaminer.com