Sort by any column. Employment is the number of cost estimators OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
Cost Estimator Salary by State (2026)
Cost Estimators earn the most in Massachusetts at $100,840 a year and the least in Puerto Rico at $47,130 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $78,740. All 53 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $100,840
- National median
- $78,740
- Lowest median
- $47,130
- States reporting
- 53
Massachusetts
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Puerto Rico
of 54 OEWS areas
Top 5 states for Cost Estimators
- 1. Massachusetts$100,840 median · $95,351 adjusted · 4,520 employed
- 2. Alaska$97,020 median · $94,784 adjusted · 220 employed
- 3. Wyoming$90,790 median · $97,949 adjusted · 440 employed
- 4. Colorado$86,940 median · $84,365 adjusted · 6,100 employed
- 5. Washington$86,070 median · $80,429 adjusted · 7,470 employed
Lowest-paying states for Cost Estimators
- 53. Puerto Rico$47,130 median · no price parity · 560 employed
- 52. Arkansas$61,470 median · $70,706 adjusted · 1,400 employed
- 51. Guam$63,350 median · no price parity · 70 employed
- 50. New Mexico$67,590 median · $73,298 adjusted · 900 employed
- 49. Oklahoma$67,800 median · $77,183 adjusted · 1,860 employed
Cost Estimator salary in every state
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts | $100,840 | $75,420 | $127,400 | 4,520 | $95,351 |
| 2 | Alaska | $97,020 | $64,460 | $141,420 | 220 | $94,784 |
| 3 | Wyoming | $90,790 | $74,730 | $104,000 | 440 | $97,949 |
| 4 | Colorado | $86,940 | $73,400 | $109,990 | 6,100 | $84,365 |
| 5 | Washington | $86,070 | $70,720 | $108,120 | 7,470 | $80,429 |
| 6 | California | $85,460 | $65,690 | $118,060 | 26,020 | $77,186 |
| 7 | Illinois | $82,750 | $61,710 | $108,240 | 5,990 | $82,785 |
| 8 | District of Columbia | $82,730 | $82,220 | $101,420 | 270 | $75,277 |
| 9 | Nevada | $82,200 | $62,890 | $104,360 | 2,240 | $82,217 |
| 10 | Rhode Island | $81,990 | $69,470 | $98,100 | 590 | $80,162 |
| 11 | Vermont | $81,390 | $66,890 | $97,330 | 320 | $83,087 |
| 12 | Maryland | $81,190 | $63,080 | $106,360 | 4,580 | $77,354 |
| 13 | Connecticut | $81,030 | $63,800 | $104,360 | 2,350 | $78,207 |
| 14 | Minnesota | $80,810 | $65,330 | $99,510 | 4,310 | $81,940 |
| 15 | New Jersey | $80,570 | $62,530 | $109,060 | 5,240 | $74,050 |
| 16 | Virginia | $80,530 | $62,600 | $100,830 | 5,840 | $79,651 |
| 17 | Oregon | $80,460 | $62,010 | $112,130 | 2,940 | $77,844 |
| 18 | New York | $80,430 | $60,290 | $106,820 | 11,980 | $74,527 |
| 19 | Hawaii | $80,360 | $61,280 | $106,220 | 1,040 | $73,087 |
| 20 | Idaho | $79,700 | $61,110 | $103,660 | 1,600 | $83,461 |
| 21 | Utah | $79,610 | $60,700 | $103,490 | 2,800 | $80,525 |
| 22 | New Hampshire | $79,560 | $62,190 | $102,640 | 980 | $76,379 |
| 23 | Delaware | $79,290 | $62,850 | $91,520 | 730 | $79,443 |
| 24 | Pennsylvania | $78,480 | $62,610 | $99,580 | 9,420 | $80,433 |
| 25 | Michigan | $77,990 | $62,060 | $100,660 | 6,960 | $81,056 |
| 26 | Ohio | $77,730 | $61,150 | $99,070 | 8,100 | $83,784 |
| 27 | West Virginia | $77,480 | $53,980 | $88,290 | 830 | $86,573 |
| 28 | Montana | $77,320 | $62,130 | $91,990 | 1,230 | $81,695 |
| 29 | Louisiana | $77,030 | $58,290 | $98,680 | 2,680 | $87,329 |
| 30 | Arizona | $77,010 | $58,710 | $99,110 | 5,760 | $76,492 |
| 31 | Texas | $76,980 | $58,970 | $100,580 | 20,760 | $79,314 |
| 32 | Georgia | $76,800 | $57,410 | $97,680 | 6,010 | $79,757 |
| 33 | Wisconsin | $76,270 | $60,540 | $93,960 | 5,150 | $81,056 |
| 34 | Kansas | $76,250 | $62,190 | $96,980 | 2,250 | $84,658 |
| 35 | Iowa | $76,040 | $58,450 | $93,380 | 1,870 | $86,643 |
| 36 | Missouri | $76,020 | $56,880 | $98,600 | 6,580 | $83,707 |
| 37 | Tennessee | $75,650 | $60,460 | $98,070 | 4,340 | $82,345 |
| 38 | Alabama | $74,990 | $53,890 | $92,970 | 3,000 | $84,426 |
| 39 | Florida | $74,990 | $56,810 | $98,370 | 13,720 | $72,514 |
| 40 | South Dakota | $74,950 | $60,740 | $92,710 | 1,030 | $84,607 |
| 41 | Kentucky | $74,880 | $57,990 | $98,450 | 1,960 | $83,053 |
| 42 | North Carolina | $74,730 | $57,680 | $94,320 | 8,030 | $79,225 |
| 43 | Maine | $74,080 | $56,660 | $90,340 | 760 | $76,332 |
| 44 | Indiana | $73,430 | $59,590 | $91,410 | 4,810 | $78,679 |
| 45 | North Dakota | $73,280 | $61,010 | $85,940 | 730 | $82,375 |
| 46 | Nebraska | $73,100 | $58,030 | $86,770 | 1,330 | $81,129 |
| 47 | Mississippi | $71,230 | $52,060 | $91,570 | 1,280 | $81,918 |
| 48 | South Carolina | $70,260 | $57,170 | $92,830 | 2,880 | $74,945 |
| 49 | Oklahoma | $67,800 | $50,750 | $94,270 | 1,860 | $77,183 |
| 50 | New Mexico | $67,590 | $49,000 | $82,990 | 900 | $73,298 |
| 51 | Guam | $63,350 | $47,990 | $81,190 | 70 | N/A |
| 52 | Arkansas | $61,470 | $45,850 | $88,760 | 1,400 | $70,706 |
| 53 | Puerto Rico | $47,130 | $34,530 | $62,300 | 560 | N/A |
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For Cost Estimators, that changes the ranking: Massachusetts leads on raw pay at $100,840, while Wyoming leads once prices are taken into account at $97,949.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Cost Estimator pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays Cost Estimators the most?
Massachusetts reports the highest median wage for Cost Estimators at $100,840 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by Alaska ($97,020) and Wyoming ($90,790).
Which state pays Cost Estimators the least?
Puerto Rico reports the lowest median for Cost Estimators at $47,130 a year, $53,710 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do Cost Estimators earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts Wyoming first at $97,949 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $90,790. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.
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