National salary comparison — BLS OES 2024-2025 data
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Pharmacists earn a national median of $132,750/year vs Cloud Engineers at $138,000/year. Cloud Engineers earn 4% more nationally. The gap is $5,250 per year — or $438 per month.
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Pharmacist
$132,750
national median/year
$11,063/mo • $64/hr
VS
Cloud Engineer
$138,000
national median/year
$11,500/mo • $66/hr
Annual salary gap
$5,250
Cloud Engineers earn 4% more per year nationally. Over 30 years at 7% investment return that gap compounds to approximately $59,510.
Best states for Cloud Engineers
vs Pharmacists
California+$29,680
Washington+$29,680
Virginia+$25,680
New York+$19,680
Massachusetts+$17,680
Best states for Pharmacists
vs Cloud Engineers
Alaska+$22,320
Mississippi+$22,320
North Dakota+$22,320
West Virginia+$20,320
Wyoming+$20,320
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Cloud Engineers earn more nationally. The median annual salary for Pharmacists is $132,750 versus $138,000 for Cloud Engineers — a difference of $5,250 per year or $438 per month.
The national median salary gap between Pharmacists and Cloud Engineers is $5,250 per year. Cloud Engineers earn 4% more. Over a 30-year career this difference, if invested at 7% annual return, compounds to approximately $59,510.
Based on BLS OES 2024-2025 data, California pays Pharmacists 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. Pharmacists 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, Pharmacists earn approximately $64 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.
