SALARY DATA — SOC 13-1051
Cost Estimators
13-0000 Business and Financial Operations Occupations
The 90/10 ratio for Cost Estimators is 2.70× — the national median is $78,740 but top decile earns $130,820. The spread exists; it's concentrated in geography, specialization, and industry sector. Knowing which end of the band you're on is the whole negotiation.
BLS OEWS reference period: May 2025. Employment: 224,220.
Wage distribution — the receipts
National OEWS annual wage percentiles. "vs. median" column shows each percentile relative to the occupation's own national median — this is where your position in the band lives. Source and series IDs: methodology page.
| Percentile | Annual wage | vs. median | Hourly (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th pct — bottom decile | $48,530 | -38% | ~$23 |
| 25th pct — lower quartile | $61,150 | -22% | ~$29 |
| Median — 50th pct | $78,740 | — | $37.86/hr |
| Mean — average | $85,390 | +8% | $41.06/hr |
| 75th pct — upper quartile | $101,850 | +29% | ~$49 |
| 90th pct — top decile | $130,820 | +66% | ~$63 |
Source: BLS OEWS national estimates. Annual wage ÷ 2,080 hrs = hourly estimate. Hourly-median is direct from OEWS when available; others are estimates only.
Pay by metro area
BLS publishes May 2025 wage estimates for Cost Estimators in 377 metro areas; the 10 with the most jobs are below, ranked by employment.
| Metro | Jobs | Median | 10th pct | 90th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 11,610 | $82,380 | $52,000 | $150,690 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 7,600 | $82,260 | $51,220 | $140,390 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 6,200 | $79,290 | $47,950 | $134,460 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 5,660 | $78,200 | $44,800 | $132,450 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 4,610 | $83,640 | $50,720 | $139,460 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 4,380 | $77,590 | $37,440 | $128,970 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 4,340 | $94,490 | $62,020 | $152,220 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 4,190 | $79,880 | $55,190 | $131,320 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 3,780 | $89,330 | $53,890 | $142,310 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 3,740 | $82,870 | $49,500 | $134,750 |
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 — metropolitan area estimates (oesm25ma/MSA_M2025_dl.xlsx). Jobs are rounded to the nearest ten and exclude the self-employed; a dash means BLS suppressed that percentile.
Pay by industry
Across 111 detailed industries with a publishable estimate, the 5 that employ the most Cost Estimators are below, with the median wage each one pays.
| Industry | NAICS | Jobs | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Building Equipment Contractors | 238200 | 30,480 | $85,720 |
| Nonresidential Building Construction | 236200 | 21,390 | $96,780 |
| Automotive Repair and Maintenance | 811100 | 21,100 | $64,800 |
| Foundation, Structure, and Building Exterior Contractors | 238100 | 18,330 | $78,900 |
| Building Finishing Contractors | 238300 | 15,620 | $75,650 |
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 — national 4-digit NAICS industry estimates (oesm25in4/nat4d_M2025_dl.xlsx), all ownerships combined. Industries where BLS suppresses the wage are omitted rather than shown as zero.
What it pays vs. what it buys
The wage is only half the number. Below, the metro median for Cost Estimators is divided by that metro's BEA Regional Price Parity — the federal measure of what a dollar actually buys there. Nominal is what the job pays. Real is what it buys at local prices. Which reorders the answer: New York ranks #13 of 50 on the paycheck and #47 once you spend it.
| Metro | Nominal | Prices | Real | Rank shift |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston | $102,640 | 103.6 | $99,035 | — |
| San Francisco | $101,630 | 106.2 | $95,710 | — |
| Denver | $89,820 | 99.4 | $90,392 | +1 |
| San Diego | $87,170 | 99.6 | $87,501 | +3 |
| Washington | $89,330 | 102.3 | $87,340 | — |
| Providence | $87,720 | 102.3 | $85,763 | — |
| Atlanta | $82,870 | 96.7 | $85,687 | +4 |
| Nashville | $81,300 | 95.1 | $85,511 | +9 |
| Seattle | $94,490 | 111.1 | $85,024 | -6 |
| Kansas City | $78,940 | 93.4 | $84,513 | +18 |
Top 10 of 50 metros by real wage. Rank shift = places gained or lost against the nominal ranking. Cleveland gains 20 places. Sources: BLS OEWS May 2025 metropolitan estimates; BEA Regional Price Parities (national = 100). Metros where BLS suppresses the estimate are omitted rather than shown as zero. Full data at /salaries-metro.json.
Is this job growing or dying?
BLS projects employment in Cost Estimators to move from 226,400 to 219,500 over 2025–2035 — -3.1% , with about 17,600 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted . Typical entry requirement: bachelor's degree.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, Table 1.2 (2025–2035). Openings count growth and replacement need together, which is why a shrinking occupation can still hire. Full data at /employment-projections.json.
Salary FAQ
- What is the median salary for Cost Estimators?
- The median annual salary for Cost Estimators is $78,740, and the mean is $85,390 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025).
- What is the salary range for Cost Estimators?
- Most Cost Estimators earn between $48,530 and $130,820 a year. The wage gap inside the occupation is a 2.70× ratio — workers at the 90th percentile earn 2.70 times those at the 10th (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
- Where does pay for Cost Estimators fall the most after adjusting for cost of living?
- Local prices reorder the ranking. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ranks #13 by nominal pay but #47 of 50 metros once local prices are applied (BEA Regional Price Parities).
- Is employment for Cost Estimators growing or shrinking?
- BLS projects Cost Estimators employment to shrink 3.1% over the 2025–2035 window, with about 17,600 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted (BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035).
- How many Cost Estimators jobs are there in the US?
- BLS counts about 224,220 workers in Cost Estimators nationally (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Figures from this page's OEWS / Employment Projections / BEA data, above. Methodology at /methodology#oews-salaries.
Related occupations
Other Business and Financial Operations Occupations whose national median wage is closest to that of Cost Estimators: same SOC major group, nearest median first.
- Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists $78,760
- Insurance Appraisers, Auto Damage $78,240
- Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists $78,210
- Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators $78,000
- Buyers and Purchasing Agents $77,710
- Compliance Officers $80,730
- Loan Officers $76,690
- Financial Specialists, All Other $81,100
The national wage distribution and the metro and industry tables above are BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates for Cost Estimators (SOC 13-1051): percentiles from the OEWS API series, metro and industry rows from the published bulk tables — how they are fetched, what OEWS leaves out (equity, bonuses, benefits) and how the 90/10 ratio is read are documented at /methodology#oews-salaries and #oews-breakdown. The other sections keep their own sources and periods: the cost-adjusted metro table divides OEWS metro medians by BEA Regional Price Parities (/methodology#burnout-index); the outlook and its FAQ entry are BLS Employment Projections for 2025–2035.
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Raw JSON: /salaries/cost-estimators-13-1051.json · License: CC BY 4.0 · Source: BLS OEWS · Cite as: Office Blues OEWS Salary Data, Cost Estimators, officeblues.net/salaries/cost-estimators-13-1051
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