Cost Estimators pay in the United States

Goes furthest in Wyoming
·Business and Financial·
224k jobs
Biggest filer TURNER & TOWNSEND INC12 certified filings on public record
$37.86/hr median
224,220 employed
-3% to 2035
66% AI exposure
Bachelor's degree
53 states reported
and more...

What this work is

Prepare cost estimates for product manufacturing, construction projects, or services to aid management in bidding on or determining price of product or service. May specialize according to particular service performed or type of product manufactured.

Where the money actually goes furthest

Massachusetts pays the highest headline figure at $100,840. Adjusted for what things cost there it is worth $95,347 — less than Wyoming, where $90,790 is worth $97,950.

Pay by state

53 states and territories publish a median for this occupation. Switch the ranking to see how much the order changes.

Adjusted for what things cost in that state.

Median pay for Cost Estimators by state, ranked by what it is worth locally
StateHourlyAnnualWorth locallyAfter state taxJobs
Wyoming$43.65/hr$90,790$97,950$90,790440
Massachusetts$48.48/hr$100,840$95,347$95,7984,520
Alaska$46.65/hr$97,020$94,783$97,020220
Louisiana$37.03/hr$77,030$87,325$75,0942,680
Iowa$36.56/hr$76,040$86,645$73,7051,870
West Virginia$37.25/hr$77,480$86,569$74,583830
Kansas$36.66/hr$76,250$84,656$72,2832,250
South Dakota$36.04/hr$74,950$84,603$74,9501,030
Alabama$36.05/hr$74,990$84,429$71,4303,000
Colorado$41.80/hr$86,940$84,366$83,8656,100
Ohio$37.37/hr$77,730$83,787$76,3088,100
Missouri$36.55/hr$76,020$83,704$73,3036,580
Idaho$38.32/hr$79,700$83,464$76,2491,600
Vermont$39.13/hr$81,390$83,084$77,955320
Kentucky$36.00/hr$74,880$83,052$72,0111,960
Illinois$39.78/hr$82,750$82,783$78,7915,990
North Dakota$35.23/hr$73,280$82,374$73,081730
Tennessee$36.37/hr$75,650$82,344$75,6504,340
Nevada$39.52/hr$82,200$82,216$82,2002,240
Minnesota$38.85/hr$80,810$81,940$76,7784,310
Mississippi$34.24/hr$71,230$81,920$68,1971,280
Montana$37.17/hr$77,320$81,690$73,8721,230
Nebraska$35.14/hr$73,100$81,132$70,2081,330
Michigan$37.50/hr$77,990$81,053$74,9136,960
Wisconsin$36.67/hr$76,270$81,052$73,3255,150
Utah$38.27/hr$79,610$80,528$75,9872,800
Pennsylvania$37.73/hr$78,480$80,434$76,0709,420
Washington$41.38/hr$86,070$80,431$86,0707,470
Rhode Island$39.42/hr$81,990$80,162$79,311590
Georgia$36.92/hr$76,800$79,759$73,4366,010
Virginia$38.72/hr$80,530$79,653$76,6455,840
Delaware$38.12/hr$79,290$79,440$75,287730
Texas$37.01/hr$76,980$79,311$76,98020,760
North Carolina$35.93/hr$74,730$79,221$72,0958,030
Indiana$35.30/hr$73,430$78,677$71,2574,810
Connecticut$38.96/hr$81,030$78,206$77,3232,350
Oregon$38.68/hr$80,460$77,844$73,9602,940
Maryland$39.03/hr$81,190$77,353$77,5144,580
California$41.09/hr$85,460$77,185$81,48526,020
Oklahoma$32.59/hr$67,800$77,185$65,0691,860
Arizona$37.02/hr$77,010$76,489$75,4495,760
New Hampshire$38.25/hr$79,560$76,375$79,560980
Maine$35.61/hr$74,080$76,331$70,319760
District of Columbia$39.77/hr$82,730$75,277$78,538270
South Carolina$33.78/hr$70,260$74,944$67,4862,880
New York$38.67/hr$80,430$74,527$76,61111,980
New Jersey$38.74/hr$80,570$74,046$77,5635,240
New Mexico$32.50/hr$67,590$73,300$65,390900
Hawaii$38.63/hr$80,360$73,087$75,6951,040
Florida$36.05/hr$74,990$72,517$74,99013,720
Arkansas$29.55/hr$61,470$70,703$59,2491,400
Guam$30.46/hr$63,350Not publishedNot published70
Puerto Rico$22.66/hr$47,130Not publishedNot published560

National median for comparison: $78,740. “Worth locally” divides pay by the area’s price level, so a figure above the headline means money goes further there than the US average.

$78,740/year

$37.86/hr an hour, national median

Across the states

$34,530$141,420

25th to 75th percentile, lowest and highest state

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How much of this job could software do?

66%High exposure
Hands, places, peopleLanguage and information

The two methods broadly agree.

Method 1 — ability mix60%

Cognitive share of O*NET ability importance (element families 1.A.1–1.A.4), O*NET 31.0

Method 2 — task content71%

Importance-weighted share of O*NET tasks classed as language or information work, O*NET 31.0

What this does and does not mean

Exposure means a model could plausibly do a meaningful share of the tasks in this job. It is not a forecast that the job disappears, and it says nothing about whether any employer will actually automate it.

For what the labour market expects, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment in this occupation to change by -3% between 2025 and 2035, with about 17,600 openings a year.

Which parts are exposed

  • Analyze blueprints and other documentation to prepare time, cost, materials, and labor estimates.
  • Confer with engineers, architects, owners, contractors, and subcontractors on changes and adjustments to cost estimates.
  • Collect historical cost data to estimate costs for current or future products.
  • Assess cost effectiveness of products, projects or services, tracking actual costs relative to bids as the project develops.
  • Prepare estimates used by management for purposes such as planning, organizing, and scheduling work.
  • Prepare estimates for use in selecting vendors or subcontractors.

Amber marks language and information work. Green marks tasks that need a person in a place.

What named employers said they would pay

From certified US Department of Labor visa filings. These are wages employers committed to for sponsored roles — not company-wide averages, and not necessarily what everyone in the job earns. Cells with fewer than three filings are withheld so no individual’s pay is identifiable.

EmployerRole as filedState25thMedian75thFilings
TURNER & TOWNSEND INCSenior Cost ConsultantCA$144,000$155,000$167,62512
Toscano Clements Taylor LLCCost EstimatorNY$84,105$84,105$107,50010
CCLA Construction IncCost EstimatorCA$90,896$90,896$90,8969
Cumming Management Group, Inc.Project Controls ManagerCA$116,520$130,000$150,0009
Coastal Construction of Miami-Dade County, Inc.Cost EstimatorFL$94,952$102,628$107,0999
Mace North America LimitedAssociate Director - Cost ConsultantNY$127,000$157,400$167,0009
WTP AMERICA LLCSENIOR COST MANAGERNY$132,500$150,000$220,0007
Darby Construction ServicesCost EstimatorNY$75,458$119,821$123,5716
Cumming Management Group, Inc.Project Controls ManagerNY$113,539$131,628$164,5646
STRATA SOLAR, LLCCost LeadNC$110,000$110,000$150,0005
Infinite Consulting Corp.EstimatorNY$77,500$79,200$79,2005
Navillus Tile, Inc.Project ManagerNY$80,000$100,000$100,0005
MTM Construction, Inc.Construction Project EngineerCA$73,236$73,236$73,2374
SENA INFO TECHNOLOGIES, INC.Cost EstimatorsCA$89,502$89,502$89,5024
Crusoe Energy Systems, Inc.Director, Cost ControlsCA$188,000$204,000$242,5004

Where cost estimators move next

Occupations that share most of this one’s skills, with the pay difference and the change in AI exposure.

Location

San Diego, CA, United States of America (SAN-San Diego Intl.)

Photograph by Leeloo The First.