Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes
Median $82,890
Occupation · SOC 13-1051
Cost Estimators: pay and where the jobs are
What cost estimators earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$78,740 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $85,390
- Median hourly wage
- $37.86
- Mean hourly wage
- $41.06
- Employment
- 224,220
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 13-1051.
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See where your pay falls among cost estimators nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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Use these numbers
How much do cost estimators make?
The median annual wage for cost estimators was $78,740 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $48,530 and the highest-paid 10% more than $130,820. As an hourly rate, the median is $37.86. About 224,220 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Massachusetts ($100,840), Alaska ($97,020) and Wyoming ($90,790). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in Wyoming.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for cost estimators looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $48,530 | $23.33 | $4,044 | $3,431 |
| 25th percentile | $61,150 | $29.40 | $5,096 | $4,276 |
| Median | $78,740 | $37.86 | $6,562 | $5,352 |
| 75th percentile | $101,850 | $48.97 | $8,488 | $6,707 |
| 90th percentile | $130,820 | $62.90 | $10,902 | $8,390 |
Cost Estimators: pay by state
53 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$78,433 take-home in national prices
2
$75,042 take-home in national prices
3
$70,430 take-home in national prices
Where a median cost estimator paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | 4,520 | $100,840 | $58,870 | $151,780 | $74,485 | $70,430 |
| Alaska | 220 | $97,020 | $52,020 | $163,740 | $76,813 | $75,042 |
| Wyoming | 440 | $90,790 | $52,680 | $108,490 | $72,701 | $78,433 |
| Colorado | 6,100 | $86,940 | $58,890 | $137,520 | $66,493 | $64,524 |
| Washington | 7,470 | $86,070 | $59,650 | $141,540 | $68,186 | $63,718 |
| California | 26,020 | $85,460 | $51,750 | $150,790 | $64,137 | $57,928 |
| Illinois | 5,990 | $82,750 | $49,200 | $136,590 | $63,093 | $63,120 |
| District of Columbia | 270 | $82,730 | $66,720 | $127,520 | $62,967 | $57,294 |
| Nevada | 2,240 | $82,200 | $49,200 | $132,350 | $66,658 | $66,672 |
| Rhode Island | 590 | $81,990 | $60,180 | $130,740 | $63,150 | $61,743 |
| Vermont | 320 | $81,390 | $56,600 | $113,230 | $63,220 | $64,538 |
| Maryland | 4,580 | $81,190 | $50,660 | $130,970 | $62,457 | $59,506 |
| Connecticut | 2,350 | $81,030 | $50,020 | $136,830 | $61,723 | $59,572 |
| Minnesota | 4,310 | $80,810 | $56,640 | $125,370 | $61,353 | $62,210 |
| New Jersey | 5,240 | $80,570 | $50,390 | $137,080 | $62,040 | $57,019 |
| Virginia | 5,840 | $80,530 | $49,820 | $129,330 | $61,666 | $60,993 |
| Oregon | 2,940 | $80,460 | $49,970 | $133,460 | $59,513 | $57,578 |
| New York | 11,980 | $80,430 | $52,000 | $139,690 | $61,288 | $56,789 |
| Hawaii | 1,040 | $80,360 | $46,030 | $139,380 | $60,670 | $55,179 |
| Idaho | 1,600 | $79,700 | $48,200 | $137,530 | $61,783 | $64,698 |
| Utah | 2,800 | $79,610 | $51,740 | $126,800 | $61,461 | $62,167 |
| New Hampshire | 980 | $79,560 | $51,640 | $129,030 | $64,800 | $62,209 |
| Delaware | 730 | $79,290 | $49,580 | $108,280 | $60,401 | $60,517 |
| Pennsylvania | 9,420 | $78,480 | $49,570 | $126,620 | $61,576 | $63,109 |
| Michigan | 6,960 | $77,990 | $46,660 | $125,520 | $60,632 | $63,016 |
| Ohio | 8,100 | $77,730 | $48,750 | $124,990 | $61,819 | $66,634 |
| West Virginia | 830 | $77,480 | $42,730 | $122,450 | $60,678 | $67,799 |
| Montana | 1,230 | $77,320 | $50,120 | $106,740 | $60,217 | $63,624 |
| Louisiana | 2,680 | $77,030 | $43,840 | $125,050 | $61,096 | $69,264 |
| Arizona | 5,760 | $77,010 | $37,440 | $127,880 | $61,475 | $61,062 |
| Texas | 20,760 | $76,980 | $45,760 | $132,310 | $62,985 | $64,895 |
| Georgia | 6,010 | $76,800 | $46,600 | $128,420 | $59,775 | $62,076 |
| Wisconsin | 5,150 | $76,270 | $50,890 | $111,530 | $59,467 | $63,199 |
| Kansas | 2,250 | $76,250 | $48,860 | $118,310 | $59,017 | $65,525 |
| Iowa | 1,870 | $76,040 | $48,740 | $118,410 | $60,086 | $68,465 |
| Missouri | 6,580 | $76,020 | $44,840 | $128,270 | $59,674 | $65,708 |
| Tennessee | 4,340 | $75,650 | $42,440 | $120,990 | $62,050 | $67,541 |
| Alabama | 3,000 | $74,990 | $42,400 | $118,160 | $58,459 | $65,816 |
| Florida | 13,720 | $74,990 | $44,200 | $128,050 | $61,585 | $59,552 |
| South Dakota | 1,030 | $74,950 | $57,110 | $129,560 | $61,557 | $69,489 |
| Kentucky | 1,960 | $74,880 | $46,410 | $119,530 | $59,005 | $65,445 |
| North Carolina | 8,030 | $74,730 | $43,580 | $123,240 | $58,930 | $62,474 |
| Maine | 760 | $74,080 | $41,450 | $123,040 | $57,252 | $58,993 |
| Indiana | 4,810 | $73,430 | $50,630 | $106,640 | $58,351 | $62,522 |
| North Dakota | 730 | $73,280 | $52,730 | $104,050 | $60,213 | $67,686 |
| Nebraska | 1,330 | $73,100 | $50,040 | $105,640 | $57,809 | $64,159 |
| Mississippi | 1,280 | $71,230 | $41,600 | $118,040 | $56,823 | $65,349 |
| South Carolina | 2,880 | $70,260 | $46,970 | $119,590 | $55,915 | $59,643 |
| Oklahoma | 1,860 | $67,800 | $42,700 | $104,750 | $54,022 | $61,498 |
| New Mexico | 900 | $67,590 | $38,960 | $109,610 | $54,369 | $58,960 |
| Guam | 70 | $63,350 | $41,450 | $106,650 | — | — |
| Arkansas | 1,400 | $61,470 | $38,480 | $110,040 | $49,784 | $57,265 |
| Puerto Rico | 560 | $47,130 | $29,200 | $79,990 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 13-1051. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.