National salary comparison — BLS OES 2024-2025 data
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Social Workers earn a national median of $54,150/year vs Cloud Engineers at $138,000/year. Cloud Engineers earn 155% more nationally. The gap is $83,850 per year — or $6,988 per month.
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Social Worker
$54,150
national median/year
$4,513/mo • $26/hr
VS
Cloud Engineer
$138,000
national median/year
$11,500/mo • $66/hr
Annual salary gap
$83,850
Cloud Engineers earn 155% more per year nationally. Over 30 years at 7% investment return that gap compounds to approximately $950,464.
Best states for Cloud Engineers
vs Social Workers
California+$109,680
Washington+$109,680
Virginia+$105,680
New York+$99,680
Massachusetts+$97,680
Best states for Social Workers
vs Cloud Engineers
Mississippi+$-53,680
North Dakota+$-53,680
West Virginia+$-53,680
Wyoming+$-53,680
Alaska+$-57,680
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Cloud Engineers earn more nationally. The median annual salary for Social Workers is $54,150 versus $138,000 for Cloud Engineers — a difference of $83,850 per year or $6,988 per month.
The national median salary gap between Social Workers and Cloud Engineers is $83,850 per year. Cloud Engineers earn 155% more. Over a 30-year career this difference, if invested at 7% annual return, compounds to approximately $950,464.
Based on BLS OES 2024-2025 data, California pays Social Workers the highest median salary at $68,320 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. Child, Family, and School Social Workers 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, Social Workers earn approximately $26 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.
