National salary comparison — BLS OES 2024-2025 data
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Cloud Engineers earn a national median of $138,000/year vs IT Managers at $169,510/year. IT Managers earn 23% more nationally. The gap is $31,510 per year — or $2,626 per month.
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Cloud Engineer
$138,000
national median/year
$11,500/mo • $66/hr
VS
IT Manager
$169,510
national median/year
$14,126/mo • $81/hr
Annual salary gap
$31,510
IT Managers earn 23% more per year nationally. Over 30 years at 7% investment return that gap compounds to approximately $357,175.
Best states for IT Managers
vs Cloud Engineers
New York+$40,510
Connecticut+$38,510
Maryland+$38,510
Massachusetts+$38,510
New Jersey+$38,510
Best states for Cloud Engineers
vs IT Managers
Arkansas+$-22,510
Mississippi+$-22,510
West Virginia+$-22,510
Alabama+$-26,510
Louisiana+$-26,510
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IT Managers earn more nationally. The median annual salary for Cloud Engineers is $138,000 versus $169,510 for IT Managers — a difference of $31,510 per year or $2,626 per month.
The national median salary gap between Cloud Engineers and IT Managers is $31,510 per year. IT Managers earn 23% more. Over a 30-year career this difference, if invested at 7% annual return, compounds to approximately $357,175.
Based on BLS OES 2024-2025 data, California pays Cloud Engineers the highest median salary at $178,000 per year.
Based on BLS OES 2024-2025 data, California pays IT Managers the highest median salary at $212,510 per year.
Salary is one factor — IT Managers earn more nationally. But career choice involves job satisfaction, work-life balance, education requirements, and job growth. Software Developers and Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Computer and Information Systems Managers both have different educational paths, licensing requirements, and long-term growth projections. Use salary as a starting point, not the only factor.
Based on a standard 2,080-hour work year, Cloud Engineers earn approximately $66 per hour nationally and IT Managers earn approximately $81 per hour. Actual hourly rates vary based on overtime, part-time work, and whether the role is salaried or hourly.
Methodology: Salary data from Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) 2024-2025. Figures represent median annual wages for wage and salary workers. Self-employed excluded. Hourly rates calculated at 2,080 hours per year. State salary figures from same BLS OES dataset. Updated annually.
