Headline risk
1%
Very Low RiskCost estimators
United States AI Work Index tracks this occupation on the shared structural baseline and then layers on local demand resilience, wages, and confidence.
Why This Score
Share of job tasks that overlap with current AI capabilities
Median annual wage
Projected employment change over 10 years
Typical preparation needed for this occupation
Occupation profile
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.
Task evidence
100% weighted task match · 0% effective coverage
Scores combine AI task overlap, human advantages, and local demand. How it works
United States Now
Median Wage
USD 77,070
Employment 2024
221.4K
Projected Change (2024–34)
-4.2%
Openings (2024–34)
16.9K
Wage distribution
Demand outlook
Employment of cost estimators is projected to grow 4 percent from 2024 to 2034, decline.
Role Profile
Tasks
- 1. Analyze blueprints and other documentation to prepare time, cost, materials, and labor estimates. AI use: 0%
- 2. Confer with engineers, architects, owners, contractors, and subcontractors on changes and adjustments to cost estimates. AI use: 0%
- 3. Collect historical cost data to estimate costs for current or future products. AI use: 0%
- 4. Consult with clients, vendors, personnel in other departments, or construction foremen to discuss and formulate estimates and resolve issues. AI use: 0%
- 5. Prepare estimates for use in selecting vendors or subcontractors. AI use: 0%
- 6. Assess cost effectiveness of products, projects or services, tracking actual costs relative to bids as the project develops. AI use: 0%
Technologies
Requirements
Work context
Worker profile
Median age 45.5 · 146K employed
Under 25: 7% · 25–54: 62% · 55+: 31%
Related
No direct US role match is available yet for this occupation.
Source coverage
11/11 source families · O*NET 30.2 / OEWS 2024 / ORS 2025 / OOH 2025-08-28 / Projections 2024-34 / CPS 2025 / Anthropic task penetration
Mapping quality
major_group_fallback · employment series present
Narrative & sources
Cost estimators collect and analyze data in order to assess the time, money, materials, and labor required to make a product or provide a service.
Cost estimators work mostly in office settings, and some estimators also visit construction sites and factory assembly lines. Most cost estimators work full time, and some work more than 40 hours per week.
Cost estimators typically need a bachelor’s degree to enter the occupation, although workers with several years of experience in construction sometimes qualify in that industry without a degree.
The median annual wage for cost estimators was $77,070 in May 2024.
Employment of cost estimators is projected to grow 4 percent from 2024 to 2034, decline.
Published limitations
This page shows the local country layer, not realised individual job outcomes. The global structural baseline is shared across countries; only the local demand and wage layer changes here.
Built from O*NET occupation descriptions, task statements, technology skills, work context, Job Zones, Anthropic task penetration, BLS OEWS wages, BLS projection tables, BLS ORS requirements, BLS OOH narrative content, BLS skills data, and BLS CPS occupation age tables.