Your work. Your records.
Cost Estimator Workplace Records
A cost estimate reflects the scope and information available when it was prepared. For an employment concern, explain your assigned estimate and the approval process before comparing it with later project costs. Keep the commercial figures and confidential bidding material in their authorized systems.
Call now(800) 800-5555Free initial case evaluation. Representation depends on work state and case eligibility. This guide explains record preparation; it does not determine whether a legal claim exists.
A record map for your role
What to organize first
Version sequence
List initial assumptions and approved revisions, with the dates the information reached you.
Approval boundary
Identify who could finalize the estimate or accept a change in scope or contingency.
Own review
Retain your employment feedback and explanation without adding confidential pricing spreadsheets.
Start with the work you actually do
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.
O*NET classifies this occupation as Cost Estimators (13-1051.00). Its description covers a typical occupation, not every workplace or individual job. It does not establish employee status, overtime eligibility or employer misconduct.
- Analyze blueprints and other documentation to prepare time, cost, materials, and labor estimates.Source task 80 · updated 08/2023
- Confer with engineers, architects, owners, contractors, and subcontractors on changes and adjustments to cost estimates.Source task 83 · updated 08/2023
- Collect historical cost data to estimate costs for current or future products.Source task 20846 · updated 08/2023
- Assess cost effectiveness of products, projects or services, tracking actual costs relative to bids as the project develops.Source task 81 · updated 08/2023
A reference point for your pay records
May 2025 wage estimates by state
Compare your pay records with published BLS estimates for Cost Estimators (SOC 13-1051). These describe an occupation across employers. They are not a required pay rate, an overtime calculation, or evidence of discrimination or unpaid wages.
Select your work state to see its published pay range. No personal pay information is requested or sent.
The 25th and 75th percentiles mark the middle half of the estimated wage distribution; the median is its midpoint. Actual pay can differ with experience, employer, location and duties. Hourly and annual figures are shown as published, without converting one into the other.
All published state estimates for this occupation
| State | Hourly 25th | Hourly median | Hourly 75th | Annual median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $25.91 | $36.05 | $44.70 | $74,990 |
| Alaska | $30.99 | $46.65 | $67.99 | $97,020 |
| Arizona | $28.23 | $37.02 | $47.65 | $77,010 |
| Arkansas | $22.05 | $29.55 | $42.67 | $61,470 |
| Connecticut | $30.68 | $38.96 | $50.17 | $81,030 |
| Delaware | $30.22 | $38.12 | $44.00 | $79,290 |
| Florida | $27.31 | $36.05 | $47.29 | $74,990 |
| Georgia | $27.60 | $36.92 | $46.96 | $76,800 |
| Hawaii | $29.46 | $38.63 | $51.07 | $80,360 |
| Idaho | $29.38 | $38.32 | $49.84 | $79,700 |
| Indiana | $28.65 | $35.30 | $43.95 | $73,430 |
| Iowa | $28.10 | $36.56 | $44.89 | $76,040 |
| Kansas | $29.90 | $36.66 | $46.63 | $76,250 |
| Kentucky | $27.88 | $36.00 | $47.33 | $74,880 |
| Louisiana | $28.02 | $37.03 | $47.44 | $77,030 |
| Maine | $27.24 | $35.61 | $43.43 | $74,080 |
| Michigan | $29.84 | $37.50 | $48.40 | $77,990 |
| Minnesota | $31.41 | $38.85 | $47.84 | $80,810 |
| Mississippi | $25.03 | $34.24 | $44.02 | $71,230 |
| Missouri | $27.35 | $36.55 | $47.40 | $76,020 |
| Montana | $29.87 | $37.17 | $44.23 | $77,320 |
| Nebraska | $27.90 | $35.14 | $41.72 | $73,100 |
| New Hampshire | $29.90 | $38.25 | $49.35 | $79,560 |
| New Mexico | $23.56 | $32.50 | $39.90 | $67,590 |
| New York | $28.98 | $38.67 | $51.36 | $80,430 |
| North Carolina | $27.73 | $35.93 | $45.35 | $74,730 |
| North Dakota | $29.33 | $35.23 | $41.32 | $73,280 |
| Ohio | $29.40 | $37.37 | $47.63 | $77,730 |
| Oklahoma | $24.40 | $32.59 | $45.32 | $67,800 |
| Pennsylvania | $30.10 | $37.73 | $47.87 | $78,480 |
| Rhode Island | $33.40 | $39.42 | $47.16 | $81,990 |
| South Dakota | $29.20 | $36.04 | $44.57 | $74,950 |
| Tennessee | $29.07 | $36.37 | $47.15 | $75,650 |
| Texas | $28.35 | $37.01 | $48.36 | $76,980 |
| Utah | $29.18 | $38.27 | $49.76 | $79,610 |
| Vermont | $32.16 | $39.13 | $46.79 | $81,390 |
| Virginia | $30.10 | $38.72 | $48.47 | $80,530 |
| West Virginia | $25.95 | $37.25 | $42.45 | $77,480 |
| Wisconsin | $29.10 | $36.67 | $45.17 | $76,270 |
| Wyoming | $35.93 | $43.65 | $50.00 | $90,790 |
“Not published” preserves unavailable or suppressed source cells. “Above reporting limit” preserves a top-coded source value without inventing a number. A missing state estimate does not establish service eligibility. The data describe wage and salary employment; they do not measure self-employment income.
Source: BLS May 2025 state workbook · OEWS tables · BLS technical notes. Use your own schedule, pay statement and compensation terms to identify the question you want reviewed.
Identify the estimate version
Describe the product or project generally, the deadline and the assumptions supplied to you. Record when drawings, quantities or labor inputs changed and who approved revisions. Distinguish a preliminary estimate from the submitted bid so later information is not mistaken for something you had earlier.
Explain actual-cost comparisons
If your review cites an overrun, identify the comparison period and the explanation management gave. Note scope changes or missing inputs you reported without assuming they caused the entire difference. Keep permitted feedback and your response rather than rebuilding the company’s cost database on a personal device.
Keep bidding information controlled
Do not retain supplier quotes, customer budgets, bid strategies or proprietary cost models for personal use. Identify relevant document types and versions for review. Your own assignment, schedule and clarification requests can describe a workload concern without exposing the organization’s pricing or another bidder’s information.
Choose your next step
Review the workplace retaliation guide, unpaid wages guide, or discrimination guide if those concerns fit your experience. A job title alone does not establish a claim.
Call now(800) 800-5555Current service-state coverage
AK, AL, AR, AZ, CT, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IN, KS, KY, LA, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NM, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WI, WV, WY. Eligibility is evaluated individually; this list does not promise representation.
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