Business & Financial
Cost Estimators
SOC 13-1051
Calculate what a project or product will cost before anyone commits.
The job
Median pay
$79k
$61k to $102k typical range
Outlook, 2025 to 2035
Declining
-3.1% projected
Openings a year
18k
BLS projection
Typical education
Bachelor's
Our model
AI displacement risk
High
How much of this job AI may do instead of the person
Works with AI
3/100
AI alongside the person rather than instead of them
AI exposure
68th pct
More exposed than 68% of occupations · modeled estimate · 81st pct in Microsoft's data
Future-proof
41/100
Key skills
- Reading Comprehension
- Mathematics
- Speaking
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Writing
Pay and jobs by state
BLS OEWS May 2025, 51 states. Sorted by jobs; per 1,000 is jobs per thousand workers in the state; vs national compares that rate with the country's.
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 26,020 | 1.4 | 1.0× | $85k |
| Texas | 20,760 | 1.5 | 1.0× | $77k |
| Florida | 13,720 | 1.4 | 1.0× | $75k |
| New York | 11,980 | 1.2 | 0.9× | $80k |
| Pennsylvania | 9,420 | 1.6 | 1.1× | $78k |
| Ohio | 8,100 | 1.5 | 1.0× | $78k |
| North Carolina | 8,030 | 1.6 | 1.1× | $75k |
| Washington | 7,470 | 2.1 | 1.5× | $86k |
| Michigan | 6,960 | 1.6 | 1.1× | $78k |
| Missouri | 6,580 | 2.2 | 1.6× | $76k |
All 51 states
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado | 6,100 | 2.1 | 1.5× | $87k |
| Georgia | 6,010 | 1.2 | 0.8× | $77k |
| Illinois | 5,990 | 1.0 | 0.7× | $83k |
| Virginia | 5,840 | 1.4 | 1.0× | $81k |
| Arizona | 5,760 | 1.8 | 1.2× | $77k |
| New Jersey | 5,240 | 1.2 | 0.8× | $81k |
| Wisconsin | 5,150 | 1.8 | 1.2× | $76k |
| Indiana | 4,810 | 1.5 | 1.0× | $73k |
| Maryland | 4,580 | 1.7 | 1.1× | $81k |
| Massachusetts | 4,520 | 1.2 | 0.9× | $101k |
| Tennessee | 4,340 | 1.3 | 0.9× | $76k |
| Minnesota | 4,310 | 1.5 | 1.0× | $81k |
| Alabama | 3,000 | 1.4 | 1.0× | $75k |
| Oregon | 2,940 | 1.5 | 1.0× | $80k |
| South Carolina | 2,880 | 1.2 | 0.9× | $70k |
| Utah | 2,800 | 1.6 | 1.1× | $80k |
| Louisiana | 2,680 | 1.4 | 1.0× | $77k |
| Connecticut | 2,350 | 1.4 | 1.0× | $81k |
| Kansas | 2,250 | 1.6 | 1.1× | $76k |
| Nevada | 2,240 | 1.4 | 1.0× | $82k |
| Kentucky | 1,960 | 1.0 | 0.7× | $75k |
| Iowa | 1,870 | 1.2 | 0.8× | $76k |
| Oklahoma | 1,860 | 1.1 | 0.8× | $68k |
| Idaho | 1,600 | 1.9 | 1.3× | $80k |
| Arkansas | 1,400 | 1.1 | 0.7× | $61k |
| Nebraska | 1,330 | 1.3 | 0.9× | $73k |
| Mississippi | 1,280 | 1.1 | 0.8× | $71k |
| Montana | 1,230 | 2.4 | 1.7× | $77k |
| Hawaii | 1,040 | 1.7 | 1.1× | $80k |
| South Dakota | 1,030 | 2.3 | 1.6× | $75k |
| New Hampshire | 980 | 1.4 | 1.0× | $80k |
| New Mexico | 900 | 1.0 | 0.7× | $68k |
| West Virginia | 830 | 1.2 | 0.8× | $77k |
| Maine | 760 | 1.2 | 0.8× | $74k |
| Delaware | 730 | 1.5 | 1.0× | $79k |
| North Dakota | 730 | 1.7 | 1.2× | $73k |
| Rhode Island | 590 | 1.2 | 0.8× | $82k |
| Wyoming | 440 | 1.6 | 1.1× | $91k |
| Vermont | 320 | 1.1 | 0.7× | $81k |
| Washington DC | 270 | 0.4 | 0.3× | $83k |
| Alaska | 220 | 0.7 | 0.5× | $97k |
Top metro areas
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ11,610 jobs · $82k median
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA7,600 jobs · $82k median
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX6,200 jobs · $79k median
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX5,660 jobs · $78k median
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN4,610 jobs · $84k median
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ4,380 jobs · $78k median
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA4,340 jobs · $94k median
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD4,190 jobs · $80k median
Explore the rankings
Explore Cost Estimators interactively →Pay and outlook from BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2025-2035). Skills and work activities from O*NET 30.3. AI exposure and future-proof scores are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.