National salary comparison — BLS OES 2024-2025 data
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Financial Advisors earn a national median of $99,580/year vs Cloud Engineers at $138,000/year. Cloud Engineers earn 39% more nationally. The gap is $38,420 per year — or $3,202 per month.
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Financial Advisor
$99,580
national median/year
$8,298/mo • $48/hr
VS
Cloud Engineer
$138,000
national median/year
$11,500/mo • $66/hr
Annual salary gap
$38,420
Cloud Engineers earn 39% more per year nationally. Over 30 years at 7% investment return that gap compounds to approximately $435,502.
Best states for Cloud Engineers
vs Financial Advisors
Washington+$53,680
California+$49,680
Colorado+$49,680
Oregon+$49,680
Virginia+$49,680
Best states for Financial Advisors
vs Cloud Engineers
New York+$-13,680
Connecticut+$-23,680
North Dakota+$-23,680
Wyoming+$-23,680
Mississippi+$-25,680
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Cloud Engineers earn more nationally. The median annual salary for Financial Advisors is $99,580 versus $138,000 for Cloud Engineers — a difference of $38,420 per year or $3,202 per month.
The national median salary gap between Financial Advisors and Cloud Engineers is $38,420 per year. Cloud Engineers earn 39% more. Over a 30-year career this difference, if invested at 7% annual return, compounds to approximately $435,502.
Based on BLS OES 2024-2025 data, New York pays Financial Advisors the highest median salary at $148,320 per year.
Based on BLS OES 2024-2025 data, California pays Cloud Engineers the highest median salary at $178,000 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. Personal Financial Advisors and Software Developers and Software Quality Assurance Analysts 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, Financial Advisors earn approximately $48 per hour nationally and Cloud Engineers earn approximately $66 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.
