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Cost Estimators

Also called: Construction Estimator, Cost Analyst, Cost Estimator, Estimator

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.

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Median pay BLS, 2025$78,740
Openings a year BLS, 2025–3517,600
Typical education to start BLSBachelor's degree
AI exposure BLS, Aug 2026 High
Projected job growth BLS, 2025–35 -3.1%

What the data says: AI could halve the time on 11 of its 14 tasks, and jobs are projected to shrink 3.1% by 2035. How to think about this →

About this projection

BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”

It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”

On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”

Recent conditions

  • In 2024, 1.0% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
  • From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 12.8 hires for every 10 job openings in construction, which employs about 55% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.

How to read these

Pay compared with all occupations BLS median wages Pays more than 72% of 825 occupations
lowest-paidhighest-paid

Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates

$61k$101knot published

Median pay in every state
StateMedianMiddle half earnJobs
Alabama$74,990$53,890 to $92,9703,000
Alaska$97,020$64,460 to $141,420220
Arizona$77,010$58,710 to $99,1105,760
Arkansas$61,470$45,850 to $88,7601,400
California$85,460$65,690 to $118,06026,020
Colorado$86,940$73,400 to $109,9906,100
Connecticut$81,030$63,800 to $104,3602,350
Delaware$79,290$62,850 to $91,520730
District of Columbia$82,730$82,220 to $101,420270
Florida$74,990$56,810 to $98,37013,720
Georgia$76,800$57,410 to $97,6806,010
Guam$63,350$47,990 to $81,19070
Hawaii$80,360$61,280 to $106,2201,040
Idaho$79,700$61,110 to $103,6601,600
Illinois$82,750$61,710 to $108,2405,990
Indiana$73,430$59,590 to $91,4104,810
Iowa$76,040$58,450 to $93,3801,870
Kansas$76,250$62,190 to $96,9802,250
Kentucky$74,880$57,990 to $98,4501,960
Louisiana$77,030$58,290 to $98,6802,680
Maine$74,080$56,660 to $90,340760
Maryland$81,190$63,080 to $106,3604,580
Massachusetts$100,840$75,420 to $127,4004,520
Michigan$77,990$62,060 to $100,6606,960
Minnesota$80,810$65,330 to $99,5104,310
Mississippi$71,230$52,060 to $91,5701,280
Missouri$76,020$56,880 to $98,6006,580
Montana$77,320$62,130 to $91,9901,230
Nebraska$73,100$58,030 to $86,7701,330
Nevada$82,200$62,890 to $104,3602,240
New Hampshire$79,560$62,190 to $102,640980
New Jersey$80,570$62,530 to $109,0605,240
New Mexico$67,590$49,000 to $82,990900
New York$80,430$60,290 to $106,82011,980
North Carolina$74,730$57,680 to $94,3208,030
North Dakota$73,280$61,010 to $85,940730
Ohio$77,730$61,150 to $99,0708,100
Oklahoma$67,800$50,750 to $94,2701,860
Oregon$80,460$62,010 to $112,1302,940
Pennsylvania$78,480$62,610 to $99,5809,420
Puerto Rico$47,130$34,530 to $62,300560
Rhode Island$81,990$69,470 to $98,100590
South Carolina$70,260$57,170 to $92,8302,880
South Dakota$74,950$60,740 to $92,7101,030
Tennessee$75,650$60,460 to $98,0704,340
Texas$76,980$58,970 to $100,58020,760
Utah$79,610$60,700 to $103,4902,800
Vermont$81,390$66,890 to $97,330320
Virginia$80,530$62,600 to $100,8305,840
Washington$86,070$70,720 to $108,1207,470
West Virginia$77,480$53,980 to $88,290830
Wisconsin$76,270$60,540 to $93,9605,150
Wyoming$90,790$74,730 to $104,000440

Nationally: $78,740. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this

How AI touches the work

What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.

AI could halve the time on 11 of its 14 tasks

2 · AI alone could halve the time 9 · AI + software built on it could 3 · Not much
AI ratingIts main tasks Share of Claude conversations
May 2026
AI + software Analyze blueprints and other documentation to prepare time, cost, materials, and labor estimates. under 0.01%
Not much Confer with engineers, architects, owners, contractors, and subcontractors on changes and adjustments to cost estimates. Not published
AI + software Collect historical cost data to estimate costs for current or future products. Not published
AI + software Consult with clients, vendors, personnel in other departments, or construction foremen to discuss and formulate estimates and resolve issues. Not published
AI + software Prepare estimates for use in selecting vendors or subcontractors. Not published
AI + software Assess cost effectiveness of products, projects or services, tracking actual costs relative to bids as the project develops. Not published
See all 14 tasks
AI + software Prepare estimates used by management for purposes such as planning, organizing, and scheduling work. under 0.01%
AI + software Set up cost monitoring and reporting systems and procedures. Not published
AI + software Conduct special studies to develop and establish standard hour and related cost data or to reduce cost. Not published
Not much Review material and labor requirements to decide whether it is more cost-effective to produce or purchase components. Not published
AI + software Prepare cost and expenditure statements and other necessary documentation at regular intervals for the duration of the project. under 0.01%
AI alone Prepare and maintain a directory of suppliers, contractors and subcontractors. under 0.01%
AI alone Establish and maintain tendering process, and conduct negotiations. Not published
Not much Visit site and record information about access, drainage and topography, and availability of utility services. Not published

Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 4 of the 14 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.

Where people already use AI

The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 14 tasks fall under 13 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.

Tasks AI could speed up11 of 14 tasksEloundou et al. ratings (2023)
Its activities among the 50 people ask AI for help with most3 of 13 activities
  • #15 Evaluate the characteristics, usefulness, or performance of products or technologies
  • #39 Determine values or prices of goods or services
  • #44 Gather data about operational or development activities
Microsoft Copilot (2024), ranked among all 332 activities. The cut-off of 50 is ours.
Work activity This occupation's tasks under it People asked AI for help
in 10,000 conversations		 AI did it for them
in 10,000 conversations
Determine values or prices of goods or services 45#39 20#48
Analyze business or financial data 14#73 3.50#106
Evaluate the characteristics, usefulness, or performance of products or technologies 118#15 42#33
Gather data about operational or development activities 40#44 3.75#103
Develop operational or technical procedures or standards 13#79 9.18#68
Monitor financial data or activities 4.28#138 0.55#193
Coordinate activities with clients, agencies, or organizations 2.97#168 2.18#124
Prepare financial documents, reports, or budgets 2.96#169 0.55#196
Show all 13 activities
Maintain operational records 2.92#170 0.49#209
Inspect facilities or equipment 2.73#174 0.73#181
Develop organizational policies, systems, or processes 2.70#175 1.31#148
Communicate with others about business strategies 2.54#179 6.63#75
Negotiate contracts or agreements 1.06#233 0.13#263
Task: AI alone Task: AI + software Task: not much #: rank among all 332 activities Microsoft measured (#1 = most common; activities that never came up share last place, shown as “tied”)
Where the two sources differ: “Negotiate contracts or agreements” holds 1 task rated AI alone, yet people asked AI for help with it in 1.06 of every 10,000 conversations, #233 of 332.

How people in this work use Claude

What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations

  • Data or a spreadsheet24%
  • A document or report20%
  • Advice or a recommendation19%
  • An analysis or summary13%
  • An email or message6%

How they worked with Claude

51% handed the task off49% worked on it together

74% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.

How to read this

Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for cost estimators specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.

The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.

More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude

High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs

BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.

AI exposure and projected job growth, 831 occupationsLow exposure: 134 of 213 occupations projected to grow. Moderate exposure: 151 of 206 occupations projected to grow. High exposure: 165 of 206 occupations projected to grow. Very high exposure: 141 of 206 occupations projected to grow.-20%-15%-10%-5%0%+5%+10%+15%+20%+25%Low134 of 213 growingModerate151 of 206 growingHigh165 of 206 growingVery high141 of 206 growing11 occupations outside −20% to +25% are drawn at the edge. Click a dot to see that occupation.Cost estimators: -3.1%Cost EstimatorsAI exposure and projected job growth, 831 occupationsLow exposure: 134 of 213 occupations projected to grow. Moderate exposure: 151 of 206 occupations projected to grow. High exposure: 165 of 206 occupations projected to grow. Very high exposure: 141 of 206 occupations projected to grow.-20%-15%-10%-5%0%+5%+10%+15%+20%+25%Low134 of 213Moderate151 of 206High165 of 206Very high141 of 20611 occupations outside −20% to +25% are drawn at the edge. Tap a dot.Cost estimators: -3.1%Cost Estimators

Career moves into and out of this occupation

From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.

Where people moved next

of 34,242 moves out

  1. 1 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 16%
  2. 2 Construction Managers High +9.1% 9%
  3. 3 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Moderate +3.8% 4%
  4. 4 Management Analysts Very high +10.1% 4%
  5. 5 General and Operations Managers High +5.0% 3%

Where people moved in from

of 45,548 moves in

  1. 1 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 16%
  2. 2 Construction Managers High +9.1% 7%
  3. 3 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products Very high -0.9% 4%
  4. 4 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Moderate +3.8% 3%
  5. 5 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 3%

Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).

Education and training for the occupation

Education people in it hold

O*NET survey of workers in this occupation

  • 5% high school
  • 9% associate's
  • 82% bachelor's
  • 5% master's

O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 22 people answered.

Census survey (American Community Survey)

  • 3% less than high school
  • 23% high school
  • 24% some college
  • 13% associate's
  • 30% bachelor's
  • 5% master's
  • 1% professional degree

Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 1,809 people surveyed.

Why the two can differ

O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide

Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation

Programs that prepare people for it (NCES)
7 programs, such as Materials Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Construction Engineering.
See all
  • Materials Engineering
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Construction Engineering
  • Manufacturing Engineering
  • Construction Engineering Technology/Technician
  • Business/Commerce, General
  • Business Administration and Management, General

Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023

54.8% this occupation

45.3% all occupations

By kindThis occupationAll occupations
a license0.8%19.1%
a certification1.0%5.8%
an educational certificate<0.5%2.8%

Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this

Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor

These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide

See where your own career could go Start by uploading your resume Browse careers

BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS

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