Business and Financial Operations Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 13-1051

Cost Estimators

The published band from $48,530 to $130,820 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Project Management Specialists.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Cost Estimators: Project Management Specialists ($102K) , Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes ($83K) , Labor Relations Specialists ($95K) , Business Operations Specialists, All Other ($83K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Cost Estimators publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 13-1051 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Analyze blueprints and other documentation to prepare time, cost, materials, and labor estimates
  2. 2. Confer with engineers, architects, owners, contractors, and subcontractors on changes and adjustments to cost estimates
  3. 3. Collect historical cost data to estimate costs for current or future products
  4. 4. Assess cost effectiveness of products, projects or services, tracking actual costs relative to bids as the project develops
  5. 5. Consult with clients, vendors, personnel in other departments, or construction foremen to discuss and formulate estimates and resolve issues
  6. 6. Establish and maintain tendering process, and conduct negotiations
  7. 7. Prepare estimates for use in selecting vendors or subcontractors
  8. 8. Prepare estimates used by management for purposes such as planning, organizing, and scheduling work
  9. 9. Set up cost monitoring and reporting systems and procedures
  10. 10. Review material and labor requirements to decide whether it is more cost-effective to produce or purchase components
  11. 11. Prepare cost and expenditure statements and other necessary documentation at regular intervals for the duration of the project
  12. 12. Conduct special studies to develop and establish standard hour and related cost data or to reduce cost

Cost Estimators: O*NET ranks Reading Comprehension first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 13-1051 - lead skill Reading Comprehension at 4.0 ; lead knowledge Mathematics. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Reading Comprehension 4.0
  2. 2. Mathematics 4.0
  3. 3. Speaking 3.9
  4. 4. Active Listening 3.8
  5. 5. Critical Thinking 3.8
  6. 6. Judgment and Decision Making 3.6
  7. 7. Writing 3.5
  8. 8. Complex Problem Solving 3.4

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Mathematics 4.4
  2. 2. Economics and Accounting 4.0
  3. 3. Computers and Electronics 3.5
  4. 4. Engineering and Technology 3.4
  5. 5. Building and Construction 3.3
  6. 6. Administration and Management 3.2
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$48,530 to $130,820
median $78,740 · ~2.7× spread
$79K
National median
↓ -4%
Growth 2024-2034
16,900
Annual openings
224,220
Estimated US jobs
Project Management Specialists
Highest-pay peer · $102K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Bachelor's degree

Top Paying States for Cost Estimators

1. California $85,460
2. District of Columbia $82,730
3. Colorado $86,940
4. Illinois $82,750
5. Washington $86,070
6. Wyoming $90,790
7. Rhode Island $81,990
8. Nevada $82,200
9. Alaska $97,020
10. Massachusetts $100,840

Other Business and Financial Operations Occupations titles

  1. 1. Labor Relations Specialists $95,420
  2. 2. Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes $82,890
  3. 3. Business Operations Specialists, All Other $83,050
  4. 4. Accountants and Auditors $83,680
  5. 5. Project Management Specialists $102,320
  6. 6. Financial Examiners $94,160

The OEWS band for Cost Estimators runs from $48,530 (10th) to $130,820 (90th), about 2.7× wide, with median $78,740. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect -4% change between 2024 and 2034 (declining vs baseline 3.1%). About 16,900 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: California at $85,460. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Project Management Specialists at $102,320. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Cost Estimators pay-rank #18 in Business and Financial Operations Occupations

Cost Estimators sits at pay-rank #18 of 32 detailed Business and Financial Operations Occupations, the middle third of the major-group median table. ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.

Other mid-table titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

The 10th-to-90th percentile spread for Cost Estimators is unusually wide, so the state map and peer comparison carry more signal than the median alone.

Cost Estimators salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 13-1051

California · top state for Cost Estimators

$85K published median

District of Columbia · #2 state pay

$83K · behind California

Project Management Specialists

Highest-pay peer vs Cost Estimators · $102K

Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes

Lower-pay peer beside Cost Estimators · $83K

Compare Cost Estimators

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Cost Estimators with another occupation →

Pay-band next reads

Entry-Level vs Experienced Pay

What percentile bands reveal

Using Salary Data for Negotiation

Leverage BLS percentiles

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Cost Estimators mid-table among Business and Financial Operations Occupations? ▼
Yes: pay-rank #18 of 32 detailed Business and Financial Operations Occupations, the middle third. Mid-table neighbors: Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists ($79K), Insurance Appraisers, Auto Damage ($78K), Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists ($78K), Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators ($78K). ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.
What do cost estimators do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Cost Estimators. Leading ones include: 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. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for cost estimators? ▼
For SOC 13-1051, O*NET importance scores lead with Reading Comprehension (4.0), Mathematics (4.0), Speaking (3.9), Active Listening (3.8). Knowledge areas emphasize Mathematics, Economics and Accounting, Computers and Electronics. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How wide is the published pay band for Cost Estimators? ▼
OEWS places the 10th percentile at $48,530 and the 90th at $130,820 for Cost Estimators (2.7× spread). The national median is $78,740. OEWS does not isolate experience, employer, or geography as the cause of that spread.
What employment change does BLS publish for Cost Estimators? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Cost Estimators is -4%. Projected annual openings: about 16,900. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: declining.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Cost Estimators? ▼
BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Cost Estimators. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Cost Estimators? ▼
California ($85,460), District of Columbia ($82,730), Colorado ($86,940) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Cost Estimators card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 13-1051. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Cost Estimators. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics