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The national median salary for Cost Estimators is $78,749 per year ($37.86/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $61,152 and $101,858 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $130,832 per year. There are approximately 224,220 cost estimators employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
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.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
-4.2%
Slower than average
Annual openings
17K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
221K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
0% from new growth100% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
Bachelor's degree
Experience
None
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Building Equipment Contractors
NAICS 238200
30K
$85,720
Nonresidential Building Construction
NAICS 236200
21K
$96,780
Automotive Repair and Maintenance
NAICS 811100
21K
$64,800
Foundation, Structure, and Building Exterior Contractors
NAICS 238100
18K
$78,900
Building Finishing Contractors
NAICS 238300
16K
$75,650
Wage range across top 5 industries: $64,800 to $96,780 (49% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$23.33
$48,526
P25
$29.40
$61,152
P50MEDIAN
$37.86
$78,749
P75
$48.97
$101,858
P90
$62.90
$130,832
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · finance sector
Hot
Openings Rate
6.0%
Quits Rate
1.2%
Finance and Insurance openings surged to 428K (+98K) in March, pushing the openings rate to 6.0% -- the highest in any major sector. Quits ticked up to 1.2%. Demand for finance talent has reaccelerated sharply.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average cost estimators salary?
The national median salary for Cost Estimators is $78,749 per year ($37.86/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $61,152 and $101,858 annually.
How much do top-earning cost estimators make?
The 90th percentile salary for Cost Estimators is $130,832 per year ($62.90/hr). The 75th percentile is $101,858 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for cost estimators?
Entry-level Cost Estimators (10th percentile) earn approximately $48,526 per year ($23.33/hr). The 25th percentile is $61,152 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
Built and maintained by Falcon Incentives, a compensation strategy and incentive design consultancy.