Cloud DevOps Engineer Salary

Development and operations (DevOps) is a field that continues to grow. Data from Grand View Research shows that DevOps will expand by 16.8 percent compound annual growth rate between 2023 and 2030, with a substantial portion of that growth coming from adopting cloud technologies [1]. This expansion could prove to be lucrative for professionals with the necessary skills, including cloud DevOps engineers.

A cloud DevOps engineer helps to develop and maintain cloud-based software projects. DevOps is more than a job title but a way of thinking about software development that focuses on tearing down silos between traditionally separated spheres of software development (development and operations) and building a culture of continuously delivering updates to the software. It’s also notable that software development is an industry that is growing much faster than the average career, according to data available from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). 

Discover more about what a cloud DevOps engineer does, what you can expect to earn in this career, and other details that can help you decide if this is a career path you want to take. 

What is a cloud DevOps engineer?

These professionals work on the development and operations side of designing, creating, testing, and maintaining cloud computing software. Development and operations are sometimes considered two separate departments. The development team designs and brings life to software or develops updates for existing software. The operations team focuses on keeping the software running and stable for customers. 

In a DevOps team, the departments blend into one workflow. In some cases, you will also see the security department noted this way to form the DevSecOps team. A typical DevOps workflow starts with planning software or updates, developing those updates, delivering them for integration or deployment, maintaining the software, and keeping it operational. Then, the cycle repeats as the team plans new developments or fixes to the existing program. As a cloud DevOps engineer, you may work on some or all parts of this cycle, but you will focus on cloud-based projects. Some of the tasks you might work on include the following: 

• Analyze cloud-based software programs to find the root cause of problems

• Write and develop scripts to correct bugs or update the software

• Create cloud-based infrastructure for development projects

• Test software and monitor security

• Continuous integration and delivery of code and updates

How much does a cloud DevOps engineer make?

According to various job listing sites, the average annual cloud DevOps engineer salary ranges from $104,019 to $125,110, according to March 2024 data. The chart below shows how the data varies between sources [2, 3, 4, 5, 6]. 

Although this can provide you with a basic understanding of the salaries associated with the role of cloud DevOps engineer, your earnings will vary. Variables like education, experience, and geographic location can significantly affect how much you will earn.

Factors that affect salary

If you were to randomly select two cloud DevOps engineers living in the United States and compare their salaries, you may find that their wages vary based on many factors. Some standard variables that will impact how much you can expect to earn as a cloud DevOps engineer include your education level, experience, industry, and geographic location. 

Education

Typically, the higher your education level, the more you can anticipate earning. According to Zippia, the average salaries for cloud DevOps engineers based on education break down as follows [7]: 

• Bachelor’s: $102,255

• Master’s: $110,066

• Doctorate: $117,886

The majority of DevOps engineers have a bachelor’s degree, with 75 percent of DevOps engineers holding that credential [7]. Another 20 percent hold a master’s degree [7]. Typical areas of study for a cloud DevOps engineer are computer science, electrical engineering, and computer engineering. 

Experience

The amount of time you’ve spent working and gaining professional experience significantly determines your salary as a cloud DevOps engineer. Both Payscale and Glassdoor offer additional salary estimates based on your experience. The average annual DevOps engineer salary (entry-level) ranges from $79,329 to $119,266, while the average DevOps engineer salary (senior level) ranges from $130,792 to $148,433. You can see how the figures break down in this chart: 

Industry

Another factor to consider when estimating the average salary of a cloud DevOps engineer is the industry in which they work. Zippia offers insight into how the type of company you work for may affect your average pay [4]: 

• Start-up: $113,283

• Technology: $108,165

• Retail: $110,489

• Health care: $105,888

• Finance: $108,776

• Telecommunications: $105,142

Location

Salaries can vary significantly across geographic locations, with factors like the cost of living and market conditions driving those differences. According to Zippia, the highest-paying cities in the US for this career include the following [4]: 

• San Francisco, CA: $131,692

• Redmond, WA: $114,438

• New York, NY: $109,527

• Boston, MA: $103,984

• Jersey City, NJ: $101,236

At the other end of the spectrum, Zippia reports the lowest-paying cities for cloud DevOps engineers include [4]: 

• Alpharetta, GA: $87,344

• Saint Louis, MO: $87,776

• Indianapolis, IN: $87,929

• Columbus, OH: $90,938 

• Raleigh, NC: $91,166

Another way to consider geographic location is to compare the salary reporting from various career websites. To better understand the range of reported salaries across job sites, let’s compare the reported wages for five different US cities across Zippia, Payscale, and ZipRecruiter. 

Job outlook

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, career growth for the entire software development industry will grow by 25 percent from 2022 to 2032, which the agency ranks as much faster than the average across all sectors [18]. 

Another way to look at the job outlook for cloud DevOps engineers is to consider the projected growth of the cloud industry, which GrandView Research estimates will occur at a rate of 14.1 percent from 2023 to 2030 [19]. Together, combined with the outlook for the DevOps market as a whole, which is anticipated to grow by 16.8 percent CAGR through 2030, primarily due to the influence of cloud technology [1], these statistics make a strong argument that cloud DevOps engineers will have a promising job market in the coming years. 

Get started with Coursera.

Working in cloud DevOps can offer numerous opportunities and the benefit of working in a growing field. Additionally, as the average cloud DevOps engineer salary demonstrates, you can also enjoy robust earning potential. To become a cloud DevOps engineer, consider Preparing for Google Cloud Certification: Cloud DevOps Engineer Professional Certificate. This course, offered by Google Cloud on Coursera, will help you prepare to take the test and earn your Professional Cloud DevOps Engineer certification. Alternatively, you can explore the field further with a program like the DevOps, Cloud, and Agile Foundations Specialization, a three-course series from IBM.