Also called: DoD cost analyst, Parametric cost estimator
Predicts how much new weapons programs will cost over decades, for contractors and the Pentagon.
Cost estimators build models of what a new fighter or ship will cost to design, build, and maintain for 40 years, and defend those numbers to budget officials and Congress.
Estimate.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's in economics, math, engineering, or business; cost estimating certification helps.
Ways in: 4-year college, Certification. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Economics, Mathematics, Industrial Engineering.
Growing about average. Steady demand.
Medium risk in 5 years, high in 10. AI cost models and data tools do most estimating; fewer analysts, who defend numbers to officials.
Classes: AP Statistics, Economics, Business / Excel.
Official data: O*NET occupation 13-1051.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.