National salary comparison — BLS OES 2024-2025 data
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Police Officers earn a national median of $72,280/year vs Cloud Engineers at $138,000/year. Cloud Engineers earn 91% more nationally. The gap is $65,720 per year — or $5,477 per month.
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Police Officer
$72,280
national median/year
$6,023/mo • $35/hr
VS
Cloud Engineer
$138,000
national median/year
$11,500/mo • $66/hr
Annual salary gap
$65,720
Cloud Engineers earn 91% more per year nationally. Over 30 years at 7% investment return that gap compounds to approximately $744,956.
Best states for Cloud Engineers
vs Police Officers
Virginia+$93,680
Washington+$87,680
New York+$77,680
North Carolina+$77,680
Colorado+$75,680
Best states for Police Officers
vs Cloud Engineers
Alaska+$-31,680
Wyoming+$-35,680
North Dakota+$-39,680
Hawaii+$-41,680
Mississippi+$-43,680
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Cloud Engineers earn more nationally. The median annual salary for Police Officers is $72,280 versus $138,000 for Cloud Engineers — a difference of $65,720 per year or $5,477 per month.
The national median salary gap between Police Officers and Cloud Engineers is $65,720 per year. Cloud Engineers earn 91% more. Over a 30-year career this difference, if invested at 7% annual return, compounds to approximately $744,956.
Based on BLS OES 2024-2025 data, California pays Police Officers the highest median salary at $108,320 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. Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers 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, Police Officers earn approximately $35 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.
