← All 785 jobsFile 13-1051
Cost Estimators
Heavily edited
AI already performs a large share of the work in this job. The BLS expects 3.1% fewer of these jobs by 2035.
- Rank
- #82 of 785 jobs, by how much of the work AI does
- US jobs, 2025 to 2035
- -3.1% All jobs: +3.5%
- Median US pay
- $78,740 a year, 2025
- People doing it
- 226,400 in the US, with about 17,600 openings a year
The work, 13 activities
The job description, marked up.
Every activity in this job, the biggest first. Tap a line for the evidence.
- deleAI does this
- +AIAI helps
- stetStill yours
AI does this: Determine values or prices of goods or services31%
AI performed this in about 1 in 510 Copilot conversations and completed it 92% of the time.
AI helps with this: Analyze business or financial data12%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 719 conversations, and it got them there 72% of the time.
Still yours: Coordinate activities with clients, agencies, or organizations8%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Monitor financial data or activities7%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Evaluate the characteristics, usefulness, or performance of products or technologies7%
AI performed this in about 1 in 237 Copilot conversations and completed it 93% of the time.
AI does this: Communicate with others about business strategies7%
AI performed this in about 1 in 1,508 Copilot conversations and completed it 95% of the time.
AI does this: Develop operational or technical procedures or standards6%
AI performed this in about 1 in 1,089 Copilot conversations and completed it 92% of the time.
Still yours: Develop organizational policies, systems, or processes5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Negotiate contracts or agreements5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Prepare financial documents, reports, or budgets4%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Maintain operational records3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Gather data about operational or development activities3%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 251 conversations, and it got them there 88% of the time.
Still yours: Inspect facilities or equipment3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
2025 to 2035
Ten years from now.
For every 100 of these jobs in 2025, the BLS projects 97 in 2035. Across all US jobs, about 104.
Even shrinking, it should still see about 17,600 openings a year as people retire or move on.
BLS on AICost estimation software raises productivity and lowers demand. Source ↗
Nearby
Where your skills travel.
Jobs that share the most work with this one, where AI does less of it.
- Shares 36% of the workFinancial Risk Specialists38% AI does, against 51% here+7.4% by 2035 · $117,330 · Bachelor’s degree
- Shares 30% of the workFinancial Specialists36% AI does, against 51% here+4.1% by 2035 · $81,100 · Bachelor’s degree
- Shares 28% of the workFinancial and Investment Analysts45% AI does, against 51% here+7.2% by 2035 · $102,740 · Bachelor’s degree
The wire
On the wire.
Nothing filed about this job yet. The latest from the Work front:
How to read this file.
deleAI does this. In US Bing Copilot conversations from January to September 2024, AI itself performed the activity, completed it and made a real difference often enough to count.
+AIAI helps. People brought the activity to AI as their own goal, and it usually got them there.
stetStill yours. It barely shows up in AI use, AI rarely finishes it, or in this job it needs hands.
Shares are weighted by how much each activity matters in the job, using O*NET. Microsoft’s own AI applicability score for this job is 0.25, higher than 81% of jobs.
Doing an activity is not doing a job. The researchers behind this data warn against reading it as job loss, and so do we. It is US data; the shape of the work travels.
Sources: Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025) · O*NET OnLine, 13-1051 · BLS Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
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