Occupation salary profile

Cost Estimators

SOC 13-1051 BLS OEWS May 2025 H-1B LCAs, last 12 months

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.

National median · BLS
$78,740
▲ +2.17% YoY
H-1B sponsor median
$91,374
▼ -3.82% YoY · 744 LCAs
Average salary · BLS
$85,390
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
224,220
Jobs (BLS)
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Enter your pay and a location to see where you stand against BLS and H-1B pay, your estimated take-home pay, and your purchasing power.

Pay range for Cost Estimators

Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation; H-1B covers 744 certified Labor Condition Applications filed by sponsoring employers in the last 12 months.

Percentile All U.S. workers (BLS) H-1B sponsored
10th — entry pay$48,530$59,724
25th$61,150$70,338
Median (50th)$78,740$91,374
75th$101,850$120,436
90th — top pay$130,820$150,000
H-1B sponsors pay a median of $91,374 for Cost Estimators — 16% above the BLS national median of $78,740.

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Based on hrs/week × weeks/year = 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035

Job outlook for Cost Estimators

BLS projects employment of cost estimators to decline 3.1% from 2025 to 2035, while employment across all occupations grows 3.5%. About 17,600 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.

Jobs 2025 → 2035
226,400 → 219,500
-6,900 jobs
Projected change
-3.1%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
17,600
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree
No related experience required
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Self-employed
1.3% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 4)
Considerable Preparation Needed. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Fastest-declining jobs → Best-paying jobs that need a bachelor's degree →

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035 · BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook →

H-1B sponsored pay

Pay by H-1B wage level

Employers assign every H-1B filing a Department of Labor prevailing-wage level, from Level I (entry) to Level IV (fully competent). Pay rises steeply with level.

H-1B median $91,374
Change vs prior year -3.82%
After inflation (CPI-U) -6.74%
Wage level LCAs Share P25 Median P75
Level I 200 26.9% $56,285 $62,200 $72,850
Level II 191 25.7% $73,014 $80,000 $90,029
Level III 146 19.6% $93,987 $106,756 $125,000
Level IV 205 27.6% $117,300 $135,000 $155,000
H-1B job titles

Salaries by job title in Cost Estimators

The 13 most-filed job titles inside SOC 13-1051, from 744 H-1B filings. Seniority words and level numbers are grouped (“Senior Data Engineer II” counts as Data Engineer). Tap a title for its full range, wage levels and the exact titles employers used.

Job title LCAs Share P25 Median P75 YoY
Estimator 141 18.95% $73,154 $91,603 $111,654 -7%
Cost Estimator 134 18.01% $62,400 $75,000 $100,098 +4.17%
Cost Manager 61 8.2% $110,531 $123,547 $149,999 +5.6%
Cost Engineer 24 3.23% $69,250 $76,250 $87,515 -38.7%
Construction Estimator 22 2.96% $60,500 $72,180 $104,750 -6.26%
Project Manager 19 2.55% $71,737 $80,000 $120,088 -5.88%
Project Engineer 18 2.42% $72,900 $92,093 $98,536 +11.63%
Project Estimator 17 2.28% $60,590 $73,000 $91,520 -2.67%
Assistant Project Manager 15 2.02% $56,285 $70,000 $74,360 -3%
Consultant, Cost Management 14 1.88% $125,000 $130,000 $138,574 -1.89%
Cost Analyst 10 1.34% $60,000 $71,101 $82,956 -16%
Cost Consultant 10 1.34% $97,975 $130,000 $135,000 —
Construction Cost Estimator 10 1.34% $60,000 $71,250 $80,544 -3.06%

Titles are cleaned from the employer's own LCA text (codes and typos removed, nothing invented). Rows need 10+ filings in this SOC.

Skills & tools

Skills needed for Cost Estimators

How important each skill and knowledge area is for this job, rated by O*NET on a 1–5 scale from surveys of workers and occupational analysts.

Top skills
  • Mathematics4.0
  • Reading Comprehension4.0
  • Speaking3.9
  • Active Listening3.8
  • Critical Thinking3.8
  • Judgment and Decision Making3.6
  • Writing3.5
  • Complex Problem Solving3.4
  • Active Learning3.3
  • Coordination3.1
Top knowledge areas
  • Mathematics4.4
  • Economics and Accounting4.0
  • Computers and Electronics3.5
  • Engineering and Technology3.4
  • Building and Construction3.3
  • Administration and Management3.2
  • English Language3.2
  • Design3.1
Software and technology used
Microsoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft OutlookConstructConnect PlanSwiftOn Center On-Screen TakeoffAdobe AcrobatAutodesk AutoCADAutodesk RevitIntuit QuickBooksMicrosoft AccessMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft ProjectMicrosoft VisioMicrosoft WordOracle Primavera Enterprise Project Portfolio ManagementProcore softwareSAP softwareTrimble SketchUp Pro

Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

About the job

What cost estimators do

  • 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.
  • Consult with clients, vendors, personnel in other departments, or construction foremen to discuss and formulate estimates and resolve issues.
  • Establish and maintain tendering process, and conduct negotiations.
  • Prepare estimates for use in selecting vendors or subcontractors.
  • Prepare estimates used by management for purposes such as planning, organizing, and scheduling work.
Also called
Construction EstimatorCost AnalystCost EstimatorEstimatorAcquisition Cost EstimatorAnalystCost ConsultantCost EngineerCost Estimating AnalystEstimating Specialist
More job titles for this occupation (29)
Building Construction EstimatorBuilding EstimatorCivil EstimatorCommercial Construction EstimatorCommercial EstimatorCommercial Roofing EstimatorConcrete EstimatorConstruction Job Cost EstimatorCost Recovery Technician (Cost Recovery Tech)Crating and Moving EstimatorDrywall EstimatorElectrical EstimatorFlooring EstimatorHeavy Civil EstimatorIndustrial EstimatorInvestment Recovery Technician (Investment Recovery Tech)Job Cost EstimatorJob EstimatorMechanical EstimatorPlumbing EstimatorPrint EstimatorPrinting EstimatorProduction Cost EstimatorProject EstimatorQuantity SurveyorSales EstimatorService AdvisorService WriterStructural Steel Estimator

Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.