Business and Financial Operations · Holland code CEI

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.

Also called: Construction Estimator, Cost Analyst, Cost Estimator, Estimator, Acquisition Cost Estimator, Analyst, Cost Consultant, Cost Engineer.

O*NET 13-1051.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $78,740; Middle half earn $61,150 to $101,850. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: Bachelor's Degree; 82% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 4 of 5; Considerable preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
US employment outlook, 2024 to 2034: -4% · Decline; 221,400 jobs in 2024, projected 212,100. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, which groups this with similar roles as "Cost estimators".

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

Analyze blueprints and other documentation to prepare time, cost, materials, and labor estimates.
Confer with engineers, architects, owners, contractors, and subcontractors on changes and adjustments to cost estimates.
Collect historical cost data to estimate costs for current or future products.
Assess cost effectiveness of products, projects or services, tracking actual costs relative to bids as the project develops.
Consult with clients, vendors, personnel in other departments, or construction foremen to discuss and formulate estimates and resolve issues.
Establish and maintain tendering process, and conduct negotiations.
Prepare estimates for use in selecting vendors or subcontractors.
Prepare estimates used by management for purposes such as planning, organizing, and scheduling work.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Reading Comprehension4.0 / 5
Mathematics4.0 / 5
Speaking3.9 / 5
Active Listening3.8 / 5
Critical Thinking3.8 / 5
Writing3.5 / 5

Knowledge areas

Mathematics4.4 / 5
Economics and Accounting4.0 / 5
Computers and Electronics3.5 / 5
Engineering and Technology3.4 / 5
Building and Construction3.3 / 5
Administration and Management3.2 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic34
Investigative36
Artistic2
Social11
Enterprising61
Conventional91

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

quantity surveyor · DE Baukalkulator/Baukalkulatorin · FR économiste de la construction
cost analyst · DE Kostenanalyst/Kostenanalystin · FR analyste coûts
manufacturing cost estimator · DE Herstellungskostenplaner/Herstellungskostenplanerin · FR évaluateur de coût de fabrication

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Chartered and certified accountants (2421)233,600 employed
Management consultants and business analysts (2431)245,700 employed
Quantity surveyors (2453)45,300 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Professionals, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€61,714
Germany	€59,529
Ireland	€56,877
Austria	€55,374
Netherlands	€53,595
Sweden	€43,567
France	€41,515
Spain	€35,735
Italy	€33,649
Portugal	€26,072
Poland	€14,380

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the higher third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of +1.37. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (13-1051).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

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