National salary comparison — BLS OES 2024-2025 data
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Cloud Engineers earn a national median of $138,000/year vs Paralegals at $59,200/year. Cloud Engineers earn 57% more nationally. The gap is $78,800 per year — or $6,567 per month.
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Cloud Engineer
$138,000
national median/year
$11,500/mo • $66/hr
VS
Paralegal
$59,200
national median/year
$4,933/mo • $28/hr
Annual salary gap
$78,800
Cloud Engineers earn 57% more per year nationally. Over 30 years at 7% investment return that gap compounds to approximately $893,221.
Best states for Paralegals
vs Cloud Engineers
Mississippi+$-53,800
North Dakota+$-55,800
West Virginia+$-55,800
Wyoming+$-55,800
South Dakota+$-57,800
Best states for Cloud Engineers
vs Paralegals
California+$101,800
Washington+$101,800
Virginia+$93,800
Massachusetts+$89,800
New York+$87,800
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Cloud Engineers earn more nationally. The median annual salary for Cloud Engineers is $138,000 versus $59,200 for Paralegals — a difference of $78,800 per year or $6,567 per month.
The national median salary gap between Cloud Engineers and Paralegals is $78,800 per year. Cloud Engineers earn 57% more. Over a 30-year career this difference, if invested at 7% annual return, compounds to approximately $893,221.
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 Paralegals the highest median salary at $76,200 per year.
Salary is one factor — Cloud Engineers 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 Paralegals and Legal Assistants 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 Paralegals earn approximately $28 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.
