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MEP Estimator Salary

This is the Data Center Headhunters salary guide.

BLS does not measure MEP Estimator as its own occupation, so this page uses Cost Estimators (SOC 13-1051, broader occupation). The median annual wage in the United States was $78,740 (BLS, May 2025), and the middle half earned $61,150 to $101,850.

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Broader occupation

Cost Estimators is a broader occupation based on the work described, not a separate data center wage series. BLS does not distinguish this title, experience level, shift, credentials or data center employers. Confirm the actual duties before using this comparison.

National pay range

Median $78,740P10 $48,530P90 $130,820
Cost Estimators, United States, annual wages
PointAnnual wageMeaning
10th percentile$48,53010% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than this.
25th percentile$61,15025% earned less than this.
Median$78,740Half earned less, half earned more.
75th percentile$101,85075% earned less than this.
90th percentile$130,82090% earned less than this.
Mean$85,390Average wage.

What BLS wages include: base pay plus any guaranteed or production-based incentive pay. What they leave out: overtime, discretionary bonus, benefits, per diem and relocation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. SOC 13-1051 Cost Estimators, United States. View this release at BLS.

Pay relative to all occupations

Median for this occupation divided by the all-occupations median, same area, same annual basis
MeasureValue
This occupation, median$78,740
All occupations (SOC 00-0000), median$50,980
Relative wage1.54 times

A ratio of 1.00 means the same median as all workers in the area. It is arithmetic on two BLS medians, not a BLS statistic.

Pay in industries that hire this occupation

National employment and pay by BLS industry, BLS, May 2025
Industry (BLS name)NAICSEmploymentShare of occupationMedianP25 to P75
Building Equipment Contractors23820030,48013.6%$85,720$67,530 to $106,440
Nonresidential Building Construction23620021,3909.5%$96,780$75,800 to $125,790
Electrical Contractors and Other Wiring Installation Contractors23821014,7306.6%$92,900$74,390 to $110,610
Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors23822013,6506.1%$81,820$64,020 to $103,330
Utility System Construction2371004,7502.1%$100,360$76,760 to $131,650
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services5413003,8201.7%$98,880$76,600 to $129,270
Engineering Services5413303,0101.3%$103,220$79,130 to $134,620
Power and Communication Line and Related Structures Construction2371309900.4%$95,440$78,940 to $119,480
Computer Systems Design and Related Services5415009900.4%$100,590$66,110 to $126,450
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution2211006800.3%$109,800$97,420 to $128,810
Commercial and Industrial Machinery and Equipment (except Automotive and Electronic) Repair and Maintenance8113006300.3%$77,500$60,160 to $92,910
Professional and Commercial Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers4234004700.2%$71,860$58,680 to $80,940
Facilities Support Services5612002300.1%$58,810$42,440 to $93,450
Testing Laboratories and Services5413801700.1%$82,920$51,350 to $94,600
Other Electrical Equipment and Component Manufacturing3359001700.1%$65,460$54,460 to $83,500
Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services518200800.0%$56,880$56,330 to $87,160
Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing334100600.0%$107,510$75,900 to $133,850

These national industry rows cover privately owned establishments. Industry names are exact BLS NAICS titles. Industries overlap, so shares do not sum to 100%. An industry row does not mean the employer runs data centers.

Pay in target metros

MEP Estimator pay in target metros, BLS, May 2025
Metro areaMedianP25 to P75EmploymentLocation quotient
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV$89,330$69,570 to $120,5803,7800.84
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX$79,290$61,070 to $102,6406,2001.06
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ$77,590$59,820 to $101,3904,3801.28
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA$82,870$63,440 to $100,8003,7400.9
Columbus, OH$79,990$63,480 to $101,0501,5700.99
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$83,640$64,320 to $109,9904,6100.71
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$97,580$79,520 to $127,9201,6801.03
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA$83,800$66,660 to $110,5902,2601.29

Location quotient measures job concentration, not pay. A value above 1 means the occupation makes up a larger share of local jobs than it does nationally. It says nothing about wages.

Highest and lowest paying metros

Ranked by published median annual wage among 379 metro areas with an exact median.

Top 10 metros by median, BLS, May 2025
RankMetro areaMedianEmploymentLocation quotient
1Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$102,6403,1100.8
2San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$101,6303,3000.96
3Amherst Town-Northampton, MA$100,410900.93
4San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$97,5801,6801.03
5Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA$95,6504901.66
6Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA$94,4904,3401.44
7Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT$92,6001500.8
8Worcester, MA$92,5705501.09
9Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO$89,8203,6901.59
10Fort Collins-Loveland, CO$89,5402901.19
Bottom 10 metros by median, BLS, May 2025
RankMetro areaMedianEmploymentLocation quotient
370Hammond, LA$59,760400.61
371Laredo, TX$58,360600.39
372Brownsville-Harlingen, TX$57,8201200.52
373Enid, OK$57,810501.45
374Hot Springs, AR$56,760400.7
375Jonesboro, AR$56,160500.56
376Las Cruces, NM$56,010900.77
377Fort Smith, AR-OK$53,800900.68
378Beckley, WV$53,470400.57
379San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, PR$47,4304600.46

Location quotient measures job concentration, not pay. A value above 1 means the occupation makes up a larger share of local jobs than it does nationally. It says nothing about wages.

Where pay is highest relative to local wages

This compares the occupation's median with the all-occupations median in the same metro and on the same annual basis. It does not adjust for living costs. Only exact published medians are ranked. A top-coded lower bound cannot establish an exact rank.

Leading metros by occupation median divided by local all-occupations median, BLS, May 2025
MetroOccupation medianAll-occupations medianRatioEmploymentLocation quotient
Aguadilla, PR$60,200$26,4802.27 times300.46
Athens-Clarke County, GA$81,540$41,2201.98 times1100.8
Gadsden, AL$69,430$36,6601.89 times300.7
Cleveland, TN$74,350$40,2301.85 times600.89
Alexandria, LA$74,890$40,6001.84 times600.7
Auburn-Opelika, AL$72,030$39,0701.84 times1000.93
Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC$68,890$37,9301.82 times1800.86
Paducah, KY-IL$82,610$45,8601.80 times801.14
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX$64,420$35,8301.80 times2300.54
Lafayette, LA$75,110$41,7801.80 times2100.83
Fresno, CA$84,140$46,9101.79 times7501.1
Parkersburg-Vienna, WV$74,990$42,0001.79 times300.59
Monroe, LA$68,030$38,1501.78 times1000.78
Dalton, GA$74,840$42,2101.77 times700.76
Amherst Town-Northampton, MA$100,410$57,0301.76 times900.93
Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV$82,110$46,6701.76 times1,5600.95
Jackson, MS$75,170$42,8501.75 times2700.7
Corpus Christi, TX$79,550$45,3501.75 times3001.08
Hattiesburg, MS$66,060$37,7501.75 times800.87
Cape Girardeau, MO-IL$77,770$44,4701.75 times701.1
Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL$69,200$39,7401.74 times901.1
Baton Rouge, LA$84,710$48,7101.74 times9401.59
Casper, WY$84,990$48,8801.74 times701.14
Coeur d'Alene, ID$83,010$47,7501.74 times1201.17
Bakersfield-Delano, CA$82,390$47,4701.74 times4100.83

Location quotient measures job concentration, not pay. A value above 1 means the occupation makes up a larger share of local jobs than it does nationally. It says nothing about wages.

Source: BLS OEWS BLS, May 2025, SOC 13-1051 and SOC 00-0000, matching metro areas. The ratio is our arithmetic on those published medians, not a BLS statistic.

Change since the prior BLS release

Median annual wage, same SOC and same BLS area code, two releases
Reference periodMedian
May 2024$77,070
May 2025$78,740
Difference+$1,670 (+2.2%)

Two published BLS values, shown as released. Not annualized, not adjusted for inflation, and BLS metro boundaries and survey panels can differ between releases.

What is inside the BLS pay figure

For construction and commissioning hires, separate expense reimbursements and overtime from straight-time pay. Check a project bonus on its actual terms. Guaranteed pay and production incentives count in BLS wages; discretionary nonproduction bonuses do not.

Pay components for Construction & Project Delivery roles against the BLS wage definition
ComponentIn the BLS figure?Note
Base rate and guaranteed payIncludedBLS counts the "base rate" and "guaranteed pay".
Production and incentive payIncludedBLS counts "incentive pay including commissions and production bonuses".
On-call payIncludedBLS lists "on-call pay" and "hazardous-duty pay" as wages.
Overtime pay matters hereLeft outBLS excludes "overtime pay". Straight-time pay only.
Shift differentialsLeft outBLS excludes "shift differentials", so night and weekend premiums are not in the figure.
Project-completion and discretionary bonuses matters hereDepends on the termsGuaranteed pay and production incentives are included. Discretionary nonproduction bonuses are excluded. Check how the payment is defined.
Per diem, travel and relocation matters hereLeft outBLS does not name these as wages. They are expense reimbursements and are not in the figure.
Benefits and employer costsLeft outBLS excludes "employer costs for supplementary benefits".

Questions

What is the median pay for MEP Estimator?

The BLS median annual wage for Cost Estimators nationally is $78,740 (BLS, May 2025).

What range do most MEP Estimator earn?

Per BLS, the middle half earned $61,150 to $101,850, and 10% earned less than $48,530.

Is this the exact job title?

Cost Estimators is a broader occupation based on the work described, not a separate data center wage series. BLS does not distinguish this title, experience level, shift, credentials or data center employers. Confirm the actual duties before using this comparison.

How many people are employed in this occupation?

BLS estimates 224,220 jobs nationally in Cost Estimators across all industries.

What do BLS wages leave out?

They leave out overtime, shift differentials, discretionary bonus, benefits, per diem and relocation. Base pay, guaranteed pay, on-call pay and production-based incentive pay are included.

Hiring Market Brief

A one-page brief for MEP Estimator: BLS pay, mapping and caveats.

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What the published rows say about MEP Estimator pay in the United States

MEP Estimator pay in the United States is represented here by Cost Estimators, SOC 13-1051, in the May 2025 OEWS release. For MEP Estimator pay in the United States, data Center Headhunters uses the broader crosswalk for this title; the occupation row, rather than a separate survey of MEP Estimator, supplies the figures on this page. For MEP Estimator pay in the United States, the published annual median is $78,740 and the middle-half endpoints are $61,150 and $101,850.

The MEP Estimator pay in the United States middle-half band spans $40,700 on the annual basis. For MEP Estimator pay in the United States, its lower quarter-to-median distance is $17,590, compared with $23,110 from the median to the upper quarter. For MEP Estimator pay in the United States, the upper interval is at least as wide as the other interval in this row. For MEP Estimator pay in the United States, for an offer against this MEP Estimator crosswalk, these are published reference points, not experience grades; the width does not establish a reason for differences between individual workers.

MEP Estimator pay in the United States can also be compared with New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ, where the annual median for Cost Estimators is $82,380 in May 2025. For MEP Estimator pay in the United States, this comparison metro is selected by published occupation employment, not by a national geographic distance. For MEP Estimator pay in the United States, the MEP Estimator crosswalk comparison differs by $3,640 from the the United States median.

MEP Estimator pay in the United States can also be compared with Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA, where the annual median for Cost Estimators is $82,260 in May 2025. For MEP Estimator pay in the United States, this comparison metro is selected by published occupation employment, not by a national geographic distance. For MEP Estimator pay in the United States, the MEP Estimator crosswalk comparison differs by $3,520 from the the United States median.

MEP Estimator pay in the United States has no local industry-by-occupation wage breakdown in the loaded OEWS rows. For MEP Estimator pay in the United States, the highest published national industry medians loaded for SOC 13-1051 are Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation at $129,670 and Nuclear Electric Power Generation at $125,000. For MEP Estimator pay in the United States, these May 2025 observations describe the national Cost Estimators occupation in those industries, not the pay of data center employers in the United States; they cannot support a local industry ranking.

The MEP Estimator pay in the United States matched median changed from $77,070 in May 2024 to $78,740 in May 2025, a difference of $1,670 up. For MEP Estimator pay in the United States, both observations use SOC 13-1051, area code 99 and the same annual wage basis. For MEP Estimator pay in the United States, this MEP Estimator comparison reports the released values without adjusting for inflation, annualizing the change or attributing it to a particular employer.

MEP Estimator pay in the United States uses the OEWS straight-time wage definition, not a complete cost-to-employ budget. For MEP Estimator pay in the United States, for an offer mapped to Cost Estimators, separate overtime, shift differentials and expense reimbursements from the annual figures for the United States; BLS excludes those categories. For MEP Estimator pay in the United States, on-call pay, guaranteed pay and production incentives are included under the wage definition. For MEP Estimator pay in the United States, no MEP Estimator-specific per diem, travel allowance or relocation amount is observed in this row, so this May 2025 page adds no dollar allowance on top.

Questions about MEP Estimator pay in the United States

Which BLS row supports MEP Estimator pay in the United States?

MEP Estimator is mapped to SOC 13-1051, Cost Estimators; the May 2025 the United States annual median is $78,740. The mapping is broader, not a separate survey of this niche title.

Does the the United States figure show all offer costs for MEP Estimator?

MEP Estimator pay in the United States uses straight-time OEWS wages. Overtime and shift differentials are excluded; on-call and guaranteed pay are included. No allowance for travel or relocation is added to this 13-1051 observation.

Nearest-area selection uses Census Gazetteer internal points, not road distance. Source: 2025 Census Gazetteer.

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