National salary comparison — BLS OES 2024-2025 data
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Software Engineers earn a national median of $132,270/year vs Cloud Engineers at $138,000/year. Cloud Engineers earn 4% more nationally. The gap is $5,730 per year — or $478 per month.
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Software Engineer
$132,270
national median/year
$11,023/mo • $64/hr
VS
Cloud Engineer
$138,000
national median/year
$11,500/mo • $66/hr
Annual salary gap
$5,730
Cloud Engineers earn 4% more per year nationally. Over 30 years at 7% investment return that gap compounds to approximately $64,951.
Best states for Cloud Engineers
vs Software Engineers
Virginia+$29,680
Maryland+$23,680
Nebraska+$19,680
Kentucky+$17,680
Minnesota+$17,680
Best states for Software Engineers
vs Cloud Engineers
Alaska+$-7,680
Idaho+$-7,680
Vermont+$-7,680
Alabama+$-9,680
California+$-9,680
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Cloud Engineers earn more nationally. The median annual salary for Software Engineers is $132,270 versus $138,000 for Cloud Engineers — a difference of $5,730 per year or $478 per month.
The national median salary gap between Software Engineers and Cloud Engineers is $5,730 per year. Cloud Engineers earn 4% more. Over a 30-year career this difference, if invested at 7% annual return, compounds to approximately $64,951.
Based on BLS OES 2024-2025 data, California pays Software Engineers the highest median salary at $168,320 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. Software Developers and Software Quality Assurance Analysts 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, Software Engineers 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.
