National salary comparison — BLS OES 2024-2025 data
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Firefighters earn a national median of $58,290/year vs Cloud Engineers at $138,000/year. Cloud Engineers earn 137% more nationally. The gap is $79,710 per year — or $6,643 per month.
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Firefighter
$58,290
national median/year
$4,858/mo • $28/hr
VS
Cloud Engineer
$138,000
national median/year
$11,500/mo • $66/hr
Annual salary gap
$79,710
Cloud Engineers earn 137% more per year nationally. Over 30 years at 7% investment return that gap compounds to approximately $903,536.
Best states for Cloud Engineers
vs Firefighters
Virginia+$103,680
Washington+$97,680
California+$89,680
New York+$89,680
Maryland+$87,680
Best states for Firefighters
vs Cloud Engineers
Wyoming+$-45,680
Alaska+$-47,680
North Dakota+$-49,680
Hawaii+$-51,680
Mississippi+$-51,680
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Cloud Engineers earn more nationally. The median annual salary for Firefighters is $58,290 versus $138,000 for Cloud Engineers — a difference of $79,710 per year or $6,643 per month.
The national median salary gap between Firefighters and Cloud Engineers is $79,710 per year. Cloud Engineers earn 137% more. Over a 30-year career this difference, if invested at 7% annual return, compounds to approximately $903,536.
Based on BLS OES 2024-2025 data, California pays Firefighters the highest median salary at $88,320 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. Firefighters 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, Firefighters earn approximately $28 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.
