Cloud Engineer vs Cybersecurity Analyst: which pays more?
Cloud Engineers earn about $15,000 more per year than cybersecurity analysts — roughly 13% higher at the national median. Here is how the two careers compare on pay, training, and outlook.
Cloud Engineer
$135,000
median per year
Cloud engineers design, deploy, and maintain infrastructure on cloud platforms.
Full cloud engineer salary data →Cybersecurity Analyst
$120,000
median per year
Information security analysts protect networks and systems from cyberattacks and data breaches.
Full cybersecurity analyst salary data →Side-by-side breakdown
| Metric | Cloud Engineer | Cybersecurity Analyst |
|---|---|---|
| Median annual salary | $135,000 | $120,000 |
| Median hourly pay | $65 | $58 |
| Entry-level (10th percentile) | $95,000 | $78,000 |
| Top earners (90th percentile) | $190,000 | $175,000 |
| Education required | Bachelor's degree plus AWS, Azure, or GCP certifications. | Bachelor's degree in IT or security plus certifications like Security+ or CISSP. |
| Job outlook | 17% growth through 2033 — cloud migration continues. | 33% growth through 2033 — much faster than average. |
Pay by state
| State | Cloud Engineer | Cybersecurity Analyst | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $159,500 | $141,500 | +$18,000 for Cloud Engineer |
| New York | $154,000 | $137,000 | +$17,000 for Cloud Engineer |
| Massachusetts | $152,500 | $135,500 | +$17,000 for Cloud Engineer |
| Washington | $151,000 | $134,500 | +$16,500 for Cloud Engineer |
| New Jersey | $147,000 | $131,000 | +$16,000 for Cloud Engineer |
| Colorado | $140,500 | $125,000 | +$15,500 for Cloud Engineer |
| Illinois | $137,500 | $122,500 | +$15,000 for Cloud Engineer |
| Pennsylvania | $132,500 | $117,500 | +$15,000 for Cloud Engineer |
| Texas | $131,000 | $116,500 | +$14,500 for Cloud Engineer |
| Arizona | $129,500 | $115,000 | +$14,500 for Cloud Engineer |
| Michigan | $128,500 | $114,000 | +$14,500 for Cloud Engineer |
| Ohio | $127,000 | $113,000 | +$14,000 for Cloud Engineer |
| Georgia | $127,000 | $113,000 | +$14,000 for Cloud Engineer |
| North Carolina | $125,500 | $111,500 | +$14,000 for Cloud Engineer |
| Florida | $124,000 | $110,500 | +$13,500 for Cloud Engineer |
Which career should you choose?
Pay is only one part of the decision. Cloud Engineers earn more on paper, but bachelor's degree plus aws, azure, or gcp certifications. takes longer and costs more than bachelor's degree in it or security plus certifications like security+ or cissp.. If you want to start earning sooner, cybersecurity analyst is usually the faster route. If long-term earning ceiling matters most, cloud engineer tops out at $190,000 versus $175,000.
Job security also differs: cloud engineer outlook is "17% growth through 2033 — cloud migration continues." while cybersecurity analyst outlook is "33% growth through 2033 — much faster than average."