Cost Estimators: salary, outlook & degrees
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.
Middle half $61,150–$101,850. 224,220 jobs.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
52% hold a bachelor's or higher. Those with one: $76,367.
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers with at least a high school diploma; EducationGuide calculation
About 17,600 openings a year, including replacements.
BLS Employment Projections 2025-35
Considerable preparation (usually a bachelor's).
BLS; O*NET 31.0 job zone
Degrees that lead to this career
What workers ages 25-34 in this job studied, among those with a bachelor's or higher. This is what people actually did, not a requirement.
| Field of bachelor's degree | Share | Degree pages |
|---|---|---|
| Construction Services | 10% | — |
| Civil Engineering | 9% | Civil Engineering |
| Business Management And Administration | 6% | Business Administration |
| General Business | 5% | Business |
| Economics | 5% | Economics |
| Mechanical Engineering | 5% | Mechanical Engineering |
| Accounting | 3% | Accounting |
| Criminal Justice And Fire Protection | 3% | Criminal Justice · Security / Homeland Security |
| Finance | 3% | Finance · Insurance |
| Communications | 2% | Communications · Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other |
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata (ages 25-34, employed, bachelor's or higher; top 10 fields); EducationGuide calculation.
Education workers say the job requires
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers (“required level of education”); small samples, so treat shares as approximate.
Pay by state and metro
| State | Median wage |
|---|---|
| Massachusetts | $100,840 |
| Alaska | $97,020 |
| Wyoming | $90,790 |
| Colorado | $86,940 |
| Washington | $86,070 |
| California | $85,460 |
| Illinois | $82,750 |
| District of Columbia | $82,730 |
| Nevada | $82,200 |
| Rhode Island | $81,990 |
| Vermont | $81,390 |
| Maryland | $81,190 |
| Connecticut | $81,030 |
| Minnesota | $80,810 |
| New Jersey | $80,570 |
| Virginia | $80,530 |
| Oregon | $80,460 |
| New York | $80,430 |
| Hawaii | $80,360 |
| Idaho | $79,700 |
| Utah | $79,610 |
| New Hampshire | $79,560 |
| Delaware | $79,290 |
| Pennsylvania | $78,480 |
| Michigan | $77,990 |
| Ohio | $77,730 |
| West Virginia | $77,480 |
| Montana | $77,320 |
| Louisiana | $77,030 |
| Arizona | $77,010 |
| Texas | $76,980 |
| Georgia | $76,800 |
| Wisconsin | $76,270 |
| Kansas | $76,250 |
| Iowa | $76,040 |
| Missouri | $76,020 |
| Tennessee | $75,650 |
| Alabama | $74,990 |
| Florida | $74,990 |
| South Dakota | $74,950 |
| Kentucky | $74,880 |
| North Carolina | $74,730 |
| Maine | $74,080 |
| Indiana | $73,430 |
| North Dakota | $73,280 |
| Nebraska | $73,100 |
| Mississippi | $71,230 |
| South Carolina | $70,260 |
| Oklahoma | $67,800 |
| New Mexico | $67,590 |
| GU | $63,350 |
| Arkansas | $61,470 |
| PR | $47,130 |
Florida metro areas
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach$76,040
- Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater$78,740
- Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford$76,390
- Jacksonville$69,090
- North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota$72,210
- Cape Coral-Fort Myers$73,760
- Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville$73,310
- Lakeland-Winter Haven$70,640
Virginia metro areas
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria$89,330
- Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk$80,850
- Richmond$77,540
- Kingsport-Bristol$69,080
- Roanoke$71,320
- Lynchburg$74,570
- Charlottesville$78,040
- Harrisonburg$73,730
California metro areas
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim$82,260
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont$101,630
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario$76,900
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad$87,170
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom$83,190
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara$97,580
- Fresno$84,140
- Santa Rosa-Petaluma$95,650
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: median annual wage, all workers in the job. Metro areas: the largest by employment.
What the work takes
Top skills
- Reading Comprehension
- Mathematics
- Speaking
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
Knowledge used
- Mathematics
- Economics and Accounting
- Computers and Electronics
- Engineering and Technology
- Building and Construction
Work styles
- Attention to Detail
- Dependability
- Integrity
- Cautiousness
- Perseverance
People in this job tend to have Conventional (organizing), Enterprising (leading) interests.
O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0): skills and knowledge by importance; work styles; interest high points.
Cost Estimators: questions
How much do cost Estimators make?
Cost Estimators earn a U.S. median $78,740 a year; the middle half earn $61,150 to $101,850 (BLS, May 2025). Workers ages 25-34 in this job earn a median $67,032 (Census ACS 2020-2024).
Is cost Estimators a growing field?
BLS projects a decline of 3.1% from 2025 to 2035, with about 17,600 openings a year, including replacements.
What degree do you need to be a cost Estimator?
BLS lists the typical entry education as bachelor's degree. In O*NET's survey, 86% of workers say a bachelor's or higher is required. Among workers ages 25-34 with a bachelor's, the most common field of degree is construction Services (10%).
How much do cost Estimators make in Florida?
The median in Florida is $74,990 a year (BLS, May 2025), compared with $78,740 nationally.
Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35); O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0); U.S. Census Bureau ACS microdata. SOC 13-1051. Method
Data: JSON · Markdown · all careers
Cite this: “Cost Estimators: salary, outlook and degrees,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/careers/cost-estimators.