The Average Salary of a Construction Job Estimator
Bidding on proposed jobs is a major part of the construction industry and estimators play a major role in determining a firm's profitability. After analyzing design specifications and calculating material and labor costs, estimators must be able to craft bids that are competitive enough to be accepted by project managers, yet include a reasonable profit margin for the construction firm.
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Average Salary
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The average construction estimator's annual salary is $41,870 as of December 2010, according to Salary.com. Half of all estimators between $36,467 and $52,675 annually. Estimators earning salaries in this range are typically entry-level estimators with two or less years of experience and no college degree. More highly qualified estimators' average annual salary is $56,264, with half of all senior estimators earning between $47,686 and $70,068 each year.
Salary by Experience
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The more experience a cost estimator earns in his field, the larger and more complicated bids he begins to work on, and his salary rises along with the complexity of his jobs. Construction estimators with less than four years of experience earn salaries between $33,571 and $52,566 as of December 2010, according to PayScale, a job compensation database. Middle-career estimators with five to nine years in the industry earn annual salaries of $44,816 to $64,030, while seasoned estimators with 10 or more years on the job receive salaries that range from $49,672 to $79,749.
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Salary by Region
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Estimators in some of the largest cities tend to earn above the average annual salary for their position. Construction estimators who work in New York and Boston receive the highest average annual salaries, of $105,211 and $107,661, respectively as of December 2010, according to Salary Expert, a job compensation resource. Estimators in Chicago and Houston also earned salaries just shy of $100,000 annually. Atlanta, Dallas and Indianapolis also report significantly higher than average annual salaries.
Salary by Industry
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Cost estimators' salaries aren't comparable across different segments of the construction industry, and salaries depend upon the type of construction in which their firm specializes. Estimators who work for construction companies that specialize in commercial development earn the highest average annual salary, $65,410 as of May 2008, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Outlook Handbook. Estimators who specialize in finishing work earn average annual salaries of $55,430, while those who work in residential construction earn average salaries of $55,390 each year.
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References
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