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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2022

13-1051 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. May specialize according to particular service performed or type of product manufactured.


National estimates for Cost Estimators
Industry profile for Cost Estimators
Geographic profile for Cost Estimators

National estimates for Cost Estimators:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Cost Estimators:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
225,310 1.0 % $ 36.89 $ 76,740 0.5 %

Percentile wage estimates for Cost Estimators:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 20.25 $ 25.52 $ 34.23 $ 44.91 $ 57.98
Annual Wage (2) $ 42,110 $ 53,080 $ 71,200 $ 93,420 $ 120,600


Industry profile for Cost Estimators:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Cost Estimators are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in Cost Estimators, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Cost Estimators:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Building Equipment Contractors 31,820 1.36 $ 39.38 $ 81,910
Nonresidential Building Construction 19,320 2.37 $ 42.86 $ 89,150
Building Finishing Contractors 18,320 2.20 $ 33.68 $ 70,050
Foundation, Structure, and Building Exterior Contractors 18,220 1.91 $ 35.74 $ 74,330
Automotive Repair and Maintenance 18,020 1.86 $ 30.69 $ 63,830

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Cost Estimators:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Nonresidential Building Construction 19,320 2.37 $ 42.86 $ 89,150
Building Finishing Contractors 18,320 2.20 $ 33.68 $ 70,050
Foundation, Structure, and Building Exterior Contractors 18,220 1.91 $ 35.74 $ 74,330
Automotive Repair and Maintenance 18,020 1.86 $ 30.69 $ 63,830
Residential Building Construction 16,000 1.77 $ 34.99 $ 72,780

Top paying industries for Cost Estimators:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Scientific Research and Development Services 440 0.05 $ 58.02 $ 120,690
Motor Vehicle Manufacturing 100 0.04 $ 51.56 $ 107,250
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution 450 0.12 $ 50.82 $ 105,700
Deep Sea, Coastal, and Great Lakes Water Transportation 70 0.20 $ 48.94 $ 101,800
Telecommunications 380 0.06 $ 48.08 $ 100,000


Geographic profile for Cost Estimators:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Cost Estimators are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in Cost Estimators, see the Create Customized Tables function.



Map of employment of cost estimators by state, May 2022


States with the highest employment level in Cost Estimators:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 30,200 1.71 1.12 $ 43.44 $ 90,360
Texas 19,220 1.48 0.97 $ 34.19 $ 71,120
Florida 14,710 1.60 1.05 $ 32.49 $ 67,570
New York 10,790 1.18 0.78 $ 39.90 $ 82,990
Pennsylvania 10,090 1.74 1.14 $ 36.42 $ 75,760


Map of location quotient of cost estimators by state, May 2022


States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Cost Estimators:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Delaware 1,220 2.68 1.76 $ 34.12 $ 70,960
Missouri 7,010 2.49 1.63 $ 34.81 $ 72,400
Colorado 5,850 2.11 1.39 $ 38.33 $ 79,720
South Dakota 900 2.06 1.35 $ 31.63 $ 65,790
Virginia 7,890 2.04 1.34 $ 36.23 $ 75,350


Map of annual mean wages of cost estimators by state, May 2022


Top paying states for Cost Estimators:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Massachusetts 4,960 1.39 0.91 $ 48.13 $ 100,100
Hawaii 1,090 1.83 1.20 $ 44.65 $ 92,870
District of Columbia 320 0.47 0.31 $ 44.23 $ 92,000
California 30,200 1.71 1.12 $ 43.44 $ 90,360
Washington 6,830 2.00 1.32 $ 42.54 $ 88,470



Map of employment of cost estimators by area, May 2022


Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Cost Estimators:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 10,880 1.18 0.78 $ 42.22 $ 87,830
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 9,080 1.49 0.98 $ 41.54 $ 86,400
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 6,120 1.61 1.06 $ 34.70 $ 72,170
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 5,110 1.67 1.10 $ 36.33 $ 75,560
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 4,710 1.07 0.70 $ 40.65 $ 84,550
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 4,520 1.63 1.07 $ 39.09 $ 81,320
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 4,370 1.44 0.95 $ 42.85 $ 89,120
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 4,240 2.08 1.37 $ 45.03 $ 93,660
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 4,100 1.71 1.12 $ 52.04 $ 108,240
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 4,060 1.49 0.98 $ 35.50 $ 73,850


Map of location quotient of cost estimators by area, May 2022


Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Cost Estimators:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Barnstable Town, MA 370 3.69 2.42 $ 31.90 $ 66,360
Santa Rosa, CA 640 3.17 2.08 $ 45.28 $ 94,190
Greeley, CO 320 3.01 1.98 $ 35.92 $ 74,720
Lancaster, PA 720 2.95 1.94 $ 34.61 $ 71,990
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC 2,140 2.95 1.94 $ 34.65 $ 72,060
Manhattan, KS 110 2.91 1.91 $ 34.69 $ 72,150
Jefferson City, MO 200 2.78 1.82 $ 34.06 $ 70,840
Kansas City, MO-KS 2,910 2.76 1.81 $ 36.58 $ 76,090
Sioux Falls, SD 430 2.69 1.77 $ 32.10 $ 66,770
Dover, DE 180 2.69 1.76 $ 30.02 $ 62,440


Map of annual mean wages of cost estimators by area, May 2022


Top paying metropolitan areas for Cost Estimators:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 4,100 1.71 1.12 $ 52.04 $ 108,240
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 1,640 1.46 0.96 $ 50.78 $ 105,630
Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI 140 1.91 1.25 $ 49.99 $ 103,980
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 3,690 1.37 0.90 $ 49.98 $ 103,960
Salinas, CA 240 1.30 0.85 $ 47.29 $ 98,360
Napa, CA 120 1.61 1.06 $ 46.71 $ 97,150
Santa Rosa, CA 640 3.17 2.08 $ 45.28 $ 94,190
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 4,240 2.08 1.37 $ 45.03 $ 93,660
Urban Honolulu, HI 820 1.93 1.26 $ 43.76 $ 91,030
Vallejo-Fairfield, CA 300 2.19 1.44 $ 43.50 $ 90,480

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Cost Estimators:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 550 1.44 0.95 $ 31.35 $ 65,210
North Northeastern Ohio nonmetropolitan area (noncontiguous) 540 1.67 1.10 $ 32.03 $ 66,610
West Northwestern Ohio nonmetropolitan area 350 1.44 0.95 $ 33.00 $ 68,630
North Texas Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 340 1.26 0.82 $ 31.21 $ 64,920
Balance of Lower Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area 340 1.31 0.86 $ 32.25 $ 67,080

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Cost Estimators:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
West Montana nonmetropolitan area 180 2.23 1.46 $ 28.81 $ 59,910
Massachusetts nonmetropolitan area 110 1.87 1.23 $ 35.70 $ 74,250
Mountain North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 240 1.83 1.20 $ 26.13 $ 54,360
Central Missouri nonmetropolitan area 280 1.79 1.18 $ 28.54 $ 59,360
Southeast Missouri nonmetropolitan area 280 1.76 1.16 $ 27.90 $ 58,040

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Cost Estimators:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Hawaii / Kauai nonmetropolitan area 130 1.34 0.88 $ 44.45 $ 92,460
Northern New Mexico nonmetropolitan area 50 0.58 0.38 $ 41.49 $ 86,300
North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area 100 0.93 0.61 $ 39.45 $ 82,050
Arizona nonmetropolitan area 60 0.64 0.42 $ 39.35 $ 81,850
Connecticut nonmetropolitan area 40 1.10 0.72 $ 38.99 $ 81,100


About May 2022 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OEWS estimates and related information:

May 2022 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: April 25, 2023