National salary comparison — BLS OES 2024-2025 data
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Registered Nurses earn a national median of $93,600/year vs Cloud Engineers at $138,000/year. Cloud Engineers earn 47% more nationally. The gap is $44,400 per year — or $3,700 per month.
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Registered Nurse
$93,600
national median/year
$7,800/mo • $45/hr
VS
Cloud Engineer
$138,000
national median/year
$11,500/mo • $66/hr
Annual salary gap
$44,400
Cloud Engineers earn 47% more per year nationally. Over 30 years at 7% investment return that gap compounds to approximately $503,287.
Best states for Cloud Engineers
vs Registered Nurses
Virginia+$70,000
Washington+$57,600
Colorado+$55,200
Maryland+$53,600
Texas+$53,600
Best states for Registered Nurses
vs Cloud Engineers
Alaska+$-13,200
Hawaii+$-13,200
Wyoming+$-23,600
Mississippi+$-26,800
North Dakota+$-26,800
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Cloud Engineers earn more nationally. The median annual salary for Registered Nurses is $93,600 versus $138,000 for Cloud Engineers — a difference of $44,400 per year or $3,700 per month.
The national median salary gap between Registered Nurses and Cloud Engineers is $44,400 per year. Cloud Engineers earn 47% more. Over a 30-year career this difference, if invested at 7% annual return, compounds to approximately $503,287.
Based on BLS OES 2024-2025 data, California pays Registered Nurses the highest median salary at $133,300 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. Registered Nurses 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, Registered Nurses earn approximately $45 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.
