National salary comparison — BLS OES 2024-2025 data
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Plumbers earn a national median of $61,550/year vs Cloud Engineers at $138,000/year. Cloud Engineers earn 124% more nationally. The gap is $76,450 per year — or $6,371 per month.
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Plumber
$61,550
national median/year
$5,129/mo • $30/hr
VS
Cloud Engineer
$138,000
national median/year
$11,500/mo • $66/hr
Annual salary gap
$76,450
Cloud Engineers earn 124% more per year nationally. Over 30 years at 7% investment return that gap compounds to approximately $866,583.
Best states for Cloud Engineers
vs Plumbers
California+$99,680
Virginia+$99,680
Washington+$95,680
Maryland+$87,680
Colorado+$85,680
Best states for Plumbers
vs Cloud Engineers
Alaska+$-37,680
North Dakota+$-37,680
Hawaii+$-41,680
Wyoming+$-41,680
Mississippi+$-45,680
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Cloud Engineers earn more nationally. The median annual salary for Plumbers is $61,550 versus $138,000 for Cloud Engineers — a difference of $76,450 per year or $6,371 per month.
The national median salary gap between Plumbers and Cloud Engineers is $76,450 per year. Cloud Engineers earn 124% more. Over a 30-year career this difference, if invested at 7% annual return, compounds to approximately $866,583.
Based on BLS OES 2024-2025 data, Alaska pays Plumbers the highest median salary at $82,320 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. Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters 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, Plumbers earn approximately $30 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.
