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Cost Estimator: what the job is, what it pays, and how to get hired.

The work, the skills that matter, the tools in demand and the pay range, from U.S. government data, plus every TryHired page for the role.

Maid DizdarevicCareer coach · 8x LinkedIn Top Voice
Updated Nov 2, 2026 · Data: BLS OEWS May 2025 · O*NET 31.0
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Median percentile pay

Half of cost estimators earn more than this and half earn less.

Annual
$78,740
Hourly
$37.86
Source
BLS May 2025
Quick answer

Cost Estimators prepare cost estimates for product manufacturing, construction projects, or services to aid management in bidding on or determining price of product or service. The median pay is $78,740 a year ($37.86 an hour) (BLS, May 2025). The most commonly reported education requirement is a bachelor's degree (82% of workers surveyed by O*NET).

Median pay
$78,740
BLS May 2025
Employed in the U.S.
224,220
BLS May 2025
Preparation
Job Zone 4 of 5
considerable preparation
Most common education
Bachelor's Degree
82% of workers
Key facts

Cost Estimators at a glance

  • Cost estimators in the United States earned a median annual wage of $78,740 in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

  • In its 2025–35 employment projections, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for cost estimators in the United States.

    Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35

  • BLS projects employment of cost estimators in the United States to decline 3.1% from 2025 to 2035, with about 17,600 openings a year on average, including replacement openings.

    Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35

  • BLS estimates that 35.6% of cost estimators in the United States had the ability to telework in 2025, a preliminary estimate of whether the job allows it, not a count of remote jobs.

    Source: BLS Occupational Requirements Survey, 2025 preliminary

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The work

What cost estimators do day to day

Data Core tasks rated most important by workers in the role (O*NET).

  1. Analyze blueprints and other documentation to prepare time, cost, materials, and labor estimates.
  2. Confer with engineers, architects, owners, contractors, and subcontractors on changes and adjustments to cost estimates.
  3. Collect historical cost data to estimate costs for current or future products.
  4. Assess cost effectiveness of products, projects or services, tracking actual costs relative to bids as the project develops.
  5. Consult with clients, vendors, personnel in other departments, or construction foremen to discuss and formulate estimates and resolve issues.
  6. Establish and maintain tendering process, and conduct negotiations.
  7. Prepare estimates for use in selecting vendors or subcontractors.
  8. Prepare estimates used by management for purposes such as planning, organizing, and scheduling work.
Job requirements

What the job requires

Data BLS figures for cost estimators (SOC 13-1051), 2025 preliminary BLS Occupational Requirements Survey.

Telework available
35.6%
of workers had the ability to telework
Workday sitting
86.0%
mean share of the day required to sit
Most common strength level
Sedentary
63.7% of workers
Can pause work
more than 85%
of workers could take short, unscheduled breaks
Self-paced workload
42.0%
of workers set their own workload
Employer-changed schedules
30.5%
of workers had schedules changed by the employer week to week

On TryHired lists: Remote careers · Desk jobs.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Requirements Survey. Estimates are preliminary; ranges are shown as published.

Where this career works

Industries that employ it

Data Share of all cost estimator jobs in each industry, 2025 (BLS Employment Matrix).

  1. Specialty trade contractors33.2% of all jobs in this occupation · -3.7% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $86,660
  2. Construction of buildings15.5% of all jobs in this occupation · -3.5% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $93,240
  3. Repair and maintenance9.7% of all jobs in this occupation · +4.8% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $70,000
  4. Heavy and civil engineering construction5.4% of all jobs in this occupation · -4.1% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $106,430
  5. Merchant wholesalers, durable goods4.5% of all jobs in this occupation · -4.2% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $73,940
  6. Fabricated metal product manufacturing4.3% of all jobs in this occupation · -5.4% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $78,230

Sources: BLS 2025–35 National Employment Matrix (share of the occupation's jobs, projected change) and BLS OEWS May 2025 industry estimates (mean wage). Different industry estimates are not a pay forecast for any person.

Skills that matter

Ranked by importance to the job

Data O*NET importance ratings. The first three are core.

Reading ComprehensioncoreMathematicscoreSpeakingcoreActive ListeningCritical ThinkingJudgment and Decision MakingWritingComplex Problem SolvingActive Learning

Knowledge areas: Mathematics, Economics and Accounting, Computers and Electronics, Engineering and Technology, Building and Construction, Administration and Management.

Tools and technology

Software cost estimators use

Data Examples reported for the role; employer demand flags from O*NET.

  • Autodesk AutoCADComputer aided design CAD softwareHot technology
  • Autodesk RevitComputer aided design CAD softwareHot technology
  • Microsoft VisioProcess mapping and design softwareHot technology
  • Procore softwareAnalytical or scientific softwareHot technology
  • Trimble SketchUp ProGraphics or photo imaging softwareHot technology
  • CPR Visual EstimatorFinancial analysis software
  • Computer aided design and drafting CADD softwareComputer aided design CAD software
  • ConEst Electrical FormulasAnalytical or scientific software
  • ConEst IntelliBid Design BuildComputer aided design CAD software
  • ConEst IntellibidFinancial analysis software
  • ConEst Permit TracLicense management software
  • ConEst SureCountComputer aided design CAD software

Also called: Acquisition Cost Estimator, Analyst, Construction Estimator, Cost Analyst, Cost Consultant, Cost Engineer.

Method

How this page is built

Tasks, skills, tools, education and related roles come from O*NET 31.0. Pay and employment come from the BLS OEWS May 2025 national estimates. The skill-match score is our calculation: Skill match is the cosine similarity of the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level and subtract the average across all occupations, then compare the direction of the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 means unrelated or opposite (negative values are shown as 0). Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared.

What this page can't tell you
  • How a specific employer defines the job.
  • Pay for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
  • Your own chances: data describes the occupation, not you.
Sources
  1. O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
  2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).

How TryHired builds this data: sources, methods and downloads. Spotted an error? Report a correction.