Pay Scale

• The pay scale for construction estimators began at less than $32,100 per year in the 10th percentile and less than $43,920 per year in the 25th percentile as of May 2010, reports the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The median income was $57,860 per year, and the average salary was $62,060 per year. In the 75th percentile, yearly wages for estimators exceeded $75,790, and in the 90th percentile yearly wages exceeded $95,620.
  
  

Industry

• Construction estimators working for building equipment contractors earned an average of $64,970 a year as of 2010, according to the BLS. Estimators working on commercial building construction projects earned an average of $69,410 per year, and those working on residential building projects earned an average of $59,540 per year. Foundation, structure and building exterior contractors offered a salary average of $61,010 per year to estimators, and building finishing contractors offered an average of $59,540 per year.
  
  

Location

• With 2.01 employed per every thousand jobs in the state, Colorado had the highest concentration of estimators and offered an annual salary average of $61,040 as of 2010, reports the BLS. Construction estimators earned the highest wages in Alaska, where the salary average was $77,970 a year. Massachusetts followed, with an average of $74,070 a year, and the District of Columbia ranked third with an average of $73,740 per year.
  
  

Outlook

• The BLS expects job opportunities for cost estimators to increase by 25 percent between 2008 and 2018, a rate “much faster than average” in comparison with all jobs in the United States. This growth is attributed to general growth in the construction industry, as both urban and rural areas require construction and repair of buildings, highways, streets, transit systems, bridges and airports. Construction estimators with a college degree in an area such as building science or construction science will have the best opportunities in the job market.