Cost Estimators pay in the U.S.
$85,390avg. a year
$41.06 an hour · 224,220 employed
Cost Estimators in the U.S. earn an average of $85,390 a year and a median of $78,740. Pay is highest in Massachusetts ($104,770) and lowest in Arkansas ($69,300).
$78,740Median pay
$41.06Average hourly
+17%Avg. pay since 2020
224,220Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for cost estimators
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
14,520 jobs
Massachusetts
$104,770
$50.37 an hour
2220 jobs
Alaska
$101,890
$48.98 an hour
36,100 jobs
Colorado
$95,040
$45.69 an hour
426,020 jobs
California
$94,780
$45.57 an hour
57,470 jobs
Washington
$94,250
$45.31 an hour
6270 jobs
District of Columbia
$92,030
$44.25 an hour
75,240 jobs
New Jersey
$89,600
$43.08 an hour
811,980 jobs
New York
$89,450
$43.01 an hour
92,240 jobs
Nevada
$88,930
$42.76 an hour
105,990 jobs
Illinois
$88,880
$42.73 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Cost Estimators pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
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Under $78k$78k–$83k$83k–$88k$88k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $109,520 | $52.66 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $108,990 | $52.40 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $108,390 | $52.11 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $101,290 | $48.70 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $99,570 | $47.87 |
| Kennewick-Richland, WA | $99,460 | $47.82 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $97,200 | $46.73 |
| Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT | $96,090 | $46.20 |
Related jobs
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Cost Estimators pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $77,050 | $74,990 | 3,000 |
| Alaska | $101,890 | $97,020 | 220 |
| Arizona | $81,990 | $77,010 | 5,760 |
| Arkansas | $69,300 | $61,470 | 1,400 |
| California | $94,780 | $85,460 | 26,020 |
| Colorado | $95,040 | $86,940 | 6,100 |
| Connecticut | $88,170 | $81,030 | 2,350 |
| Delaware | $79,200 | $79,290 | 730 |
| District of Columbia | $92,030 | $82,730 | 270 |
| Florida | $81,130 | $74,990 | 13,720 |
| Georgia | $81,220 | $76,800 | 6,010 |
| Hawaii | $87,120 | $80,360 | 1,040 |
| Idaho | $87,770 | $79,700 | 1,600 |
| Illinois | $88,880 | $82,750 | 5,990 |
| Indiana | $76,200 | $73,430 | 4,810 |
| Iowa | $78,310 | $76,040 | 1,870 |
| Kansas | $80,750 | $76,250 | 2,250 |
| Kentucky | $78,920 | $74,880 | 1,960 |
| Louisiana | $80,280 | $77,030 | 2,680 |
| Maine | $77,020 | $74,080 | 760 |
| Maryland | $87,770 | $81,190 | 4,580 |
| Massachusetts | $104,770 | $100,840 | 4,520 |
| Michigan | $82,600 | $77,990 | 6,960 |
| Minnesota | $85,290 | $80,810 | 4,310 |
| Mississippi | $74,850 | $71,230 | 1,280 |
| Missouri | $81,220 | $76,020 | 6,580 |
| Montana | $78,490 | $77,320 | 1,230 |
| Nebraska | $75,840 | $73,100 | 1,330 |
| Nevada | $88,930 | $82,200 | 2,240 |
| New Hampshire | $85,650 | $79,560 | 980 |
| New Jersey | $89,600 | $80,570 | 5,240 |
| New Mexico | $71,890 | $67,590 | 900 |
| New York | $89,450 | $80,430 | 11,980 |
| North Carolina | $78,060 | $74,730 | 8,030 |
| North Dakota | $77,540 | $73,280 | 730 |
| Ohio | $82,740 | $77,730 | 8,100 |
| Oklahoma | $72,680 | $67,800 | 1,860 |
| Oregon | $88,810 | $80,460 | 2,940 |
| Pennsylvania | $83,890 | $78,480 | 9,420 |
| Rhode Island | $88,260 | $81,990 | 590 |
| South Carolina | $77,050 | $70,260 | 2,880 |
| South Dakota | $79,200 | $74,950 | 1,030 |
| Tennessee | $79,960 | $75,650 | 4,340 |
| Texas | $83,780 | $76,980 | 20,760 |
| Utah | $85,510 | $79,610 | 2,800 |
| Vermont | $85,430 | $81,390 | 320 |
| Virginia | $86,110 | $80,530 | 5,840 |
| Washington | $94,250 | $86,070 | 7,470 |
| West Virginia | $76,980 | $77,480 | 830 |
| Wisconsin | $78,830 | $76,270 | 5,150 |
| Wyoming | $88,240 | $90,790 | 440 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$92,640
11,610 jobsLos Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$90,760
7,600 jobsDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX$87,120
6,200 jobsHouston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX$84,820
5,660 jobsChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$91,010
4,610 jobsPhoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ$84,280
4,380 jobsSeattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA$99,570
4,340 jobsPhiladelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD$87,290
4,190 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do cost estimators make?
The average is $85,390 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $78,740 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $41.06, and the median is $37.86 an hour.
Which state pays cost estimators the most?
Massachusetts, with an average of $104,770 a year. The best-paying metro area is San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA at $109,520.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $48,530 a year, and the top 10% earn over $130,820.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 13-1051. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.