Occupation Profile

Industries Employing

Cost Estimators

(SOC Code : 13-1051)

in Santa Barbara County

Prepare cost estimates for product manufacturing, construction projects, or services to aid management in bidding on or determining price of product or service. May specialize according to particular service performed or type of product manufactured.

Employers are usually looking for candidates with a Bachelor's degree .

Santa Barbara County is part of the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara MSA, which includes Santa Barbara and Santa Maria-Santa Barb counties.

Occupational Wages

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Area	Year	Period	Hourly Mean	Hourly by Percentile
				25th	Median	75th
California	2023	1st Qtr	$44.30	$29.69	$39.21	$51.94

Data for Santa Barbara County are not available. Data for California has been substituted.

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Occupational Projections of Employment (also called "Outlook" or "Demand")

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Area	Estimated Year-Projected Year	Employment		Employment Change		Total Job Openings
		Estimated	Projected	Number	Percent
Santa Barbara County	2018 - 2028	230	260	30	13.0	270

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Job Openings from JobCentral National Labor Exchange

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Enter a Zip Code Find a Zip code in Santa Barbara County

Within miles of Zip Code.

Industries Employing This Occupation (click on Industry Title to View Employers List)

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Industry Title

Number of Employers in Santa Barbara County

Percent of Total
Employment for Occupation in State of California

Building Equipment Contractors

374

16.1%

Building Finishing Contractors

263

9.5%

Foundation, Structure, and Build

133

9.2%

Automotive Repair and Maintenanc

336

8.1%

Nonresidential Building Construction

177

7.8%

Residential Building Construction

247

7.8%

Other Specialty Trade Contractor

141

6.2%

Utility System Construction

2.8%

Natural Gas Distribution

2.4%

Highway, Street, and Bridge Constr

1.8%

Printing and Related Support Activities

1.8%

Architectural and Structural Met

1.7%

Architectural, Engineering, and Re

317

1.5%

Automobile Dealers

1.3%

Management, Scientific, and Tech

357

1.1%

Aerospace Product and Parts Manu

1.1%

About Staffing Patterns

Training Programs (click on title for more information)

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Program Title

Business Administration and Management, General

Business/Commerce, General

Materials Engineering

Mechanical Engineering

About Training & Apprenticeships

About This Occupation (from O*NET - The Occupation Information Network)

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Top Tasks (Specific duties and responsibilities of this job.)

Collect historical cost data to estimate costs for current or future products.

Consult with clients, vendors, personnel in other departments or construction foremen to discuss and formulate estimates and resolve issues.

Analyze blueprints and other documentation to prepare time, cost, materials, and labor estimates.

Prepare estimates for use in selecting vendors or subcontractors.

Confer with engineers, architects, owners, contractors and subcontractors on changes and adjustments to cost estimates.

Prepare estimates used by management for purposes such as planning, organizing, and scheduling work.

Prepare cost and expenditure statements and other necessary documentation at regular intervals for the duration of the project.

Assess cost effectiveness of products, projects or services, tracking actual costs relative to bids as the project develops.

Set up cost monitoring and reporting systems and procedures.

Conduct special studies to develop and establish standard hour and related cost data or to effect cost reduction.

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Top Skills used in this Job

Mathematics - Using mathematics to solve problems.

Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Management of Financial Resources - Determining how money will be spent to get the work done, and accounting for these expenditures.

Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

Systems Analysis - Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.

Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

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Top Abilities (Attributes of the person that influence performance in this job.)

Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).

Mathematical Reasoning - The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.

Number Facility - The ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly.

Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.

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Top Work Values (Aspects of this job that create satisfaction.)

Relationships - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment.

Independence - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions.

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Top Interests (The types of activities someone in this job would like.)

Enterprising - Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.

Conventional - Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

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