Best Cost Estimator programs in Pennsylvania, 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.
128 schools in Pennsylvania run programs that feed this job, graduating 13,217 people a year. The job pays a median of $78,480 in Pennsylvania across about 9,420 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Pennsylvania that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
7 programs in Pennsylvania that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Pennsylvania (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 Pennsylvania page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 52.0201In Pennsylvania → | 8,397 | 63.5% | 105 | $43,506 | $25,000 |
| 2 | CIP 14.1901In Pennsylvania → | 2,344 | 17.7% | 34 | $70,724 | $24,833 |
| 3 | CIP 52.0101In Pennsylvania → | 2,143 | 16.2% | 54 | $44,700 | $24,000 |
| 4 | CIP 14.1801In Pennsylvania → | 233 | 1.8% | 6 | $74,110 | $23,250 |
| 5 | CIP 15.1001In Pennsylvania → | 55 | 0.4% | 3 | $72,178 | $22,750 |
| 6 | CIP 14.3601In Pennsylvania → | 43 | 0.3% | 5 | $72,154 | $21,457 |
| 7 | CIP 14.3301In Pennsylvania → | 2 | 0.0% | 1 | $75,998 | $25,314 |
Top 25 schools in Pennsylvania
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 83 of the 128 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eastern University Saint Davids, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 804 | Business Administration and Management, General | $52,763 | 54% | $25,146 | 91% |
| 2 | Pennsylvania State University - World Campus University Park, PA Public · 4 feeder programs | 763 | Business Administration and Management, General | $51,562 | 34% | — | 91% |
| 3 | Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 559 | Mechanical Engineering | $76,523 | 94% | $23,803 | 12% |
| 4 | Pennsylvania State University - Main Campus University Park, PA Public · 4 feeder programs | 545 | Mechanical Engineering | $69,772 | 86% | — | 61% |
| 5 | University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA Public · 4 feeder programs | 517 | Business Administration and Management, General | $62,675 | 85% | — | 58% |
| 6 | University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 515 | Business Administration and Management, General | $91,443 | 97% | $22,055 | 5% |
| 7 | West Chester University of Pennsylvania West Chester, PA Public · 1 feeder programs | 423 | Business Administration and Management, General | — | 71% | — | 78% |
| 8 | Temple University Philadelphia, PA Public · 4 feeder programs | 377 | Business/Commerce, General | $48,747 | 75% | — | 80% |
| 9 | Drexel University Philadelphia, PA Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 368 | Mechanical Engineering | $74,267 | 78% | $36,004 | 79% |
| 10 | Villanova University Villanova, PA Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 348 | Business Administration and Management, General | $61,307 | 92% | $33,774 | 27% |
| 11 | Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania Bloomsburg, PA Public · 2 feeder programs | 347 | Business Administration and Management, General | $45,093 | 54% | — | 93% |
| 12 | Kutztown University of Pennsylvania Kutztown, PA Public · 1 feeder programs | 287 | Business Administration and Management, General | $45,703 | 54% | — | 91% |
| 13 | Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia Philadelphia, PA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 256 | Business/Commerce, General | — | 79% | $34,418 | 89% |
| 14 | Lehigh University Bethlehem, PA Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 244 | Mechanical Engineering | $75,479 | 88% | $26,912 | 26% |
| 15 | Strayer University - Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 205 | Business/Commerce, General | $55,431 | 0% | $21,360 | — |
| 16 | Montgomery County Community College Blue Bell, PA Public · 3 feeder programs | 203 | Business/Commerce, General | $36,274 | 28% | — | — |
| 17 | Harrisburg Area Community College Harrisburg, PA Public · 3 feeder programs | 195 | Business Administration and Management, General | $37,584 | 21% | — | — |
| 18 | Robert Morris University Moon Township, PA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 193 | Business Administration and Management, General | $46,589 | 66% | $24,175 | 90% |
| 19 | Pennsylvania Western University California, PA Public · 2 feeder programs | 186 | Business Administration and Management, General | $40,356 | 52% | — | 94% |
| 20 | Community College of Philadelphia Philadelphia, PA Public · 1 feeder programs | 181 | Business/Commerce, General | $35,122 | 24% | — | — |
| 21 | Indiana University of Pennsylvania Indiana, PA Public · 1 feeder programs | 169 | Business Administration and Management, General | $42,362 | 56% | — | 91% |
| 22 | Bucks County Community College Newtown, PA Public · 2 feeder programs | 168 | Business Administration and Management, General | $32,358 | 32% | — | — |
| 23 | Marywood University Scranton, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 151 | Business Administration and Management, General | $44,718 | 72% | $21,769 | 61% |
| 24 | Community College of Allegheny County Pittsburgh, PA Public · 1 feeder programs | 139 | Business Administration and Management, General | $34,330 | 24% | — | — |
| 25 | Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania Slippery Rock, PA Public · 2 feeder programs | 134 | Business Administration and Management, General | $40,819 | 66% | — | 71% |
All 128 schools in Pennsylvania
Every school in Pennsylvania 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern University | Saint Davids | Private not-for-profit | 804 | 1 |
| Pennsylvania State University - World Campus | University Park | Public | 763 | 4 |
| Carnegie Mellon University | Pittsburgh | Private not-for-profit | 559 | 4 |
| Pennsylvania State University - Main Campus | University Park | Public | 545 | 4 |
| University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus | Pittsburgh | Public | 517 | 4 |
| University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia | Private not-for-profit | 515 | 4 |
| West Chester University of Pennsylvania | West Chester | Public | 423 | 1 |
| Temple University | Philadelphia | Public | 377 | 4 |
| Drexel University | Philadelphia | Private not-for-profit | 368 | 4 |
| Villanova University | Villanova | Private not-for-profit | 348 | 4 |
| Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania | Bloomsburg | Public | 347 | 2 |
| Kutztown University of Pennsylvania | Kutztown | Public | 287 | 1 |
| Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia | Philadelphia | Private not-for-profit | 256 | 2 |
| Lehigh University | Bethlehem | Private not-for-profit | 244 | 4 |
| Strayer University - Pennsylvania | Philadelphia | Private for-profit | 205 | 2 |
What cost estimators earn in Pennsylvania
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $78,740. Pennsylvania pays below the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in Pennsylvania
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 Pennsylvania
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 Pennsylvania.
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 8,397 degrees in Pennsylvania in 2024-25, 63.5% 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, Mechanical Engineering, Business/Commerce, Materials Engineering, plus 3 more. Together they graduate about 13,217 people a year in Pennsylvania.
How much do cost estimators earn in Pennsylvania?+
The median is $78,480 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 0.3% 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 Pennsylvania?+
128 institutions in Pennsylvania 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
Explore every U.S. college in one conversation
Clema turns plain-language questions into sourced answers across every U.S. institution — earnings, aid, acceptance, graduation, safety, and athletics from IPEDS, College Scorecard, and 10+ federal datasets, built in.
Free for teams up to 3 · No credit card