How Much Do Cost Estimators Make in 2021 (including Starting Salary)

Stan T.Career, SalaryLeave a Comment

Annual Salary, Salary Range, and Highest Paying States and Industries

Cost Estimators

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.

Salary
$72960
Becoming One
Hard
Education
Bachelor's degree
Job Satisfaction
Job Growth

Personality
Interest Match



Table of contents
  1. Average salary
  2. Starting salary
  3. Salary rank
  4. Salary range
  5. Highest paying states
  6. Highest paying industries

Average salary

Annual salary
$72960 per year
Hourly wage
$35 per hour

Starting salary

Entry-level annual salary
$40,380 to $51,980 per year
Entry-level hourly wage
$19 to $25 per hour

Entry-level Cost Estimators with little to no experience can expect to make anywhere between $40,380 to $51,980 per year or $19 to $25 per hour. Similar to any other job, their salary will increase as they gain experience.

Salary rank

Salary rank
B

We wanted to make it easy for our readers to compare the salary of Cost Estimators to all the other careers out there. So we created Salary Rank. We compared the salary of all careers then we gave them a rank of A, B, C, or D depending on where their average salary sit in comparison to other careers.

Salary range

Level Hourly Annual
Highest (Top 10%) $55 $114,360
Senior (Top 25%) $43 $88,460
Middle (Mid 50%) $32 $66,610
Junior (Bottom 25%) $25 $51,980
No experience (Bottom 10%) $19 $40,380

Highest paying states

State Hourly Annual
DC $50 $104,840
MA $44 $90,950
VI $42 $87,930
HI $41 $84,380
CA $40 $83,150
AK $40 $82,450
CT $39 $81,920
NY $38 $79,950
RI $38 $78,660
WA $38 $78,460

Another simple way to increase your salary as a Cost Estimator is to move to a higher paying state. However moving to a higher paying state like DC doesn’t guarantee that you will make more because the expenses at DC might be much higher than where you are currently living at right now.

According to BLS, the highest paid Cost Estimators are in the states of DC, MA, VI, HI and CA.

Highest paying industries

Salary by industry Annual Hourly
Natural Gas Distribution $94250 $45.31
Software Publishers $92480 $44.46
Communications Equipment Manufacturing $92370 $44.41
Waste Treatment and Disposal $92230 $44.34
Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities $90610 $43.56
Data Processing, Hosting, and Related Services $90520 $43.52
Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing $89670 $43.11
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution $89590 $43.07
Telecommunications $87890 $42.25
Couriers and Express Delivery Services $86440 $41.56
Other Information Services $86100 $41.40
State Government $85590 $41.15
Water, Sewage and Other Systems $85430 $41.07
Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction $85300 $41.01
Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction $85260 $40.99
Computer Systems Design and Related Services $84550 $40.65
Scientific Research and Development Services $83510 $40.15
Land Subdivision $82980 $39.90
Local Government $82960 $39.89
Nonresidential Building Construction $82480 $39.66
Individual and Family Services $82200 $39.52
Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing $82130 $39.48
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services $82090 $39.47
Management of Companies and Enterprises $81360 $39.11
Engine, Turbine, and Power Transmission Equipment Manufacturing $80630 $38.76
Utility System Construction $80450 $38.68
Support Activities for Air Transportation $80250 $38.58
Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing $79430 $38.19
Rental and Leasing Services $79090 $38.02
Ship and Boat Building $78840 $37.90

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