Best Cost Estimator programs in Missouri, ranked by enrollment
Prepare cost estimates for product manufacturing, construction projects, or services to aid management in bidding on or determining price of product or service.
59 schools in Missouri run programs that feed this job, graduating 7,424 people a year. The job pays a median of $76,020 in Missouri across about 6,580 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Missouri that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
7 programs in Missouri that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Missouri (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Missouri page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 52.0201In Missouri → | 3,651 | 49.2% | 48 | $43,506 | $25,000 |
| 2 | CIP 52.0101In Missouri → | 3,023 | 40.7% | 23 | $44,700 | $24,000 |
| 3 | CIP 14.1901In Missouri → | 662 | 8.9% | 7 | $70,724 | $24,833 |
| 4 | CIP 15.1001In Missouri → | 57 | 0.8% | 2 | $72,178 | $22,750 |
| 5 | CIP 14.1801In Missouri → | 19 | 0.3% | 2 | $74,110 | $23,250 |
| 6 | CIP 14.3301In Missouri → | 7 | 0.1% | 1 | $75,998 | $25,314 |
| 7 | CIP 14.3601In Missouri → | 5 | 0.1% | 1 | $72,154 | $21,457 |
Top 25 schools in Missouri
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 40 of the 59 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Missouri - Columbia Columbia, MO Public · 2 feeder programs | 1,234 | Business/Commerce, General | $55,999 | 75% | — | 78% |
| 2 | University of Missouri - Kansas City Kansas City, MO Public · 3 feeder programs | 484 | Business/Commerce, General | $48,603 | 55% | — | 72% |
| 3 | University of Missouri - St Louis Saint Louis, MO Public · 3 feeder programs | 457 | Business/Commerce, General | $48,928 | 57% | — | 63% |
| 4 | Washington University in St Louis St. Louis, MO Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 438 | Business Administration and Management, General | — | 94% | $14,126 | 12% |
| 5 | Webster University Saint Louis, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 435 | Business Administration and Management, General | $45,119 | 64% | $25,090 | 86% |
| 6 | Park University Parkville, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 410 | Business Administration and Management, General | $53,201 | 38% | $16,013 | — |
| 7 | Columbia College Columbia, MO Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 391 | Business/Commerce, General | $48,329 | 42% | $23,247 | — |
| 8 | Missouri State University - Springfield Springfield, MO Public · 2 feeder programs | 368 | Business Administration and Management, General | $40,968 | 58% | — | 91% |
| 9 | Lindenwood University Saint Charles, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 288 | Business/Commerce, General | $47,821 | 49% | $17,436 | 57% |
| 10 | Northwest Missouri State University Maryville, MO Public · 1 feeder programs | 275 | Business Administration and Management, General | $43,672 | 54% | — | 86% |
| 11 | Missouri University of Science and Technology Rolla, MO Public · 3 feeder programs | 211 | Mechanical Engineering | $75,855 | 64% | — | 73% |
| 12 | Maryville University of Saint Louis Saint Louis, MO Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 197 | Business/Commerce, General | — | 66% | $24,921 | 95% |
| 13 | Southeast Missouri State University Cape Girardeau, MO Public · 1 feeder programs | 191 | Business Administration and Management, General | $41,604 | 58% | — | 74% |
| 14 | Rockhurst University Kansas City, MO Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 167 | Business Administration and Management, General | $51,887 | 75% | $21,890 | 70% |
| 15 | Missouri Southern State University Joplin, MO Public · 2 feeder programs | 161 | Business/Commerce, General | $44,262 | 42% | — | 97% |
| 16 | Ozarks Technical Community College Springfield, MO Public · 1 feeder programs | 127 | Business Administration and Management, General | $34,644 | 33% | — | — |
| 17 | University of Central Missouri Warrensburg, MO Public · 1 feeder programs | 113 | Business Administration and Management, General | $42,588 | 54% | — | 64% |
| 18 | William Woods University Fulton, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 106 | Business Administration and Management, General | $40,010 | 47% | $22,203 | 71% |
| 19 | Saint Louis University Saint Louis, MO Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 102 | Business Administration and Management, General | $48,371 | 80% | $24,886 | 75% |
| 20 | St Charles Community College Cottleville, MO Public · 1 feeder programs | 93 | Business Administration and Management, General | — | 25% | — | — |
| 21 | Central Methodist University - College of Graduate and Extended Studies Fayette, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 90 | Business/Commerce, General | $39,435 | 0% | $14,535 | 88% |
| 22 | North Central Missouri College Trenton, MO Public · 1 feeder programs | 78 | Business/Commerce, General | — | 58% | — | — |
| 23 | Missouri Baptist University Saint Louis, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 77 | Business Administration and Management, General | $42,461 | 48% | $25,407 | 69% |
| 24 | Missouri Western State University Saint Joseph, MO Public · 2 feeder programs | 72 | Business Administration and Management, General | $41,902 | 39% | — | — |
| 25 | Crowder College Neosho, MO Public · 2 feeder programs | 60 | Construction Engineering Technology/Technician | — | 49% | — | — |
All 59 schools in Missouri
Every school in Missouri with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Missouri - Columbia | Columbia | Public | 1,234 | 2 |
| University of Missouri - Kansas City | Kansas City | Public | 484 | 3 |
| University of Missouri - St Louis | Saint Louis | Public | 457 | 3 |
| Washington University in St Louis | St. Louis | Private not-for-profit | 438 | 4 |
| Webster University | Saint Louis | Private not-for-profit | 435 | 1 |
| Park University | Parkville | Private not-for-profit | 410 | 1 |
| Columbia College | Columbia | Private not-for-profit | 391 | 2 |
| Missouri State University - Springfield | Springfield | Public | 368 | 2 |
| Lindenwood University | Saint Charles | Private not-for-profit | 288 | 1 |
| Northwest Missouri State University | Maryville | Public | 275 | 1 |
| Missouri University of Science and Technology | Rolla | Public | 211 | 3 |
| Maryville University of Saint Louis | Saint Louis | Private not-for-profit | 197 | 2 |
| Southeast Missouri State University | Cape Girardeau | Public | 191 | 1 |
| Rockhurst University | Kansas City | Private not-for-profit | 167 | 2 |
| Missouri Southern State University | Joplin | Public | 161 | 2 |
What cost estimators earn in Missouri
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $78,740. Missouri pays below the national figure.
Concentrated here: Missouri employs more of this job per worker than the U.S. average.
Metro areas in Missouri
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.
How to get in
The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Cost Estimators page.
How to become a Cost Estimator
Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
Top skills
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in Missouri
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 7 majors mapped to Cost Estimators7 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 14.1801Materials Engineering
- 14.1901Mechanical Engineering
- 14.3301Construction Engineering
- 14.3601Manufacturing Engineering
- 15.1001Construction Engineering Technology/Technician
- 52.0101Business/Commerce, General
- 52.0201Business Administration and Management, General
Common questions
Answers for people weighing cost estimators programs in Missouri.
What degree do you need to become a Cost Estimator?+
Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Business Administration and Management, General, which awarded 3,651 degrees in Missouri in 2024-25, 49.2% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Cost Estimator?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 7 programs to this occupation. The largest are Business Administration, Business/Commerce, Mechanical Engineering, Construction Engineering Technology/Technician, plus 3 more. Together they graduate about 7,424 people a year in Missouri.
How much do cost estimators earn in Missouri?+
The median is $76,020 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 3.5% below the U.S. median of $78,740. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for cost estimators growing?+
BLS projects a -4.2% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, decline, with roughly 16,900 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Missouri?+
59 institutions in Missouri reported graduates from at least one of the 7 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do cost estimators work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Estimator, Cost Analyst, Cost Estimator, Construction Estimator among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 13-1051.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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