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Seniority Profile · California

Lead / Director Cost Estimators salary in California

Roles that direct strategy, lead teams, or hold full functional ownership. Typically ten or more years of experience or a Director-class title with budget responsibility.

Adrian Serafin, founder and editor of RateOrchardBy Adrian SerafinFounderUpdated May 5, 2026
BLS percentile range
P75 to P90 of the California OES distribution for Cost Estimators.
DOL OFLC offered median
$148,500
Across 28 certified filings at this wage level.
Real disclosed salaries

Lead / Director Cost Estimators in California: actual employer-disclosed pay

Public records from 28 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications filed with the U.S. Department of Labor. Median offered wage: $148,500. Every figure below is an actual offered salary an employer attested to under federal law.

By DOL wage level

DOL classifies every offer into one of four wage levels based on the role's experience and skill requirements.

LevelFilingsMedian offer
Level IV — fully competent28$148,500

Top employers filing for this role

Companies with the most certified filings for Lead / Director Cost Estimators in California. Median offer is across all of that employer's filings.

EmployerMost-filed titleFilingsMedian
Turner & Townsend, Inc.Sr. Consultant, Estimation5$148,000
Cumming Management Group, Inc.Director, Cost Management5$160,000
Rider Levett Bucknall Ltd.Associate Principal2$153,362
Crusoe Energy Systems, Inc.Senior Construction Cost Estimator1$188,000
Bloom Energy CorporationConstruction Project Cost Estimator1$190,000
E2 Consulting Engineers, Inc.Sr. Cost Engineer1$170,560
Southern California EdisonSr Advisor, Work Management Salary1$185,048
DPR Construction, A General PartnershipCost Estimator (SP)1$133,723
Fluor Enterprises, Inc.Principal Project Controls Specialists1$189,298
Gardiner & Theobald, Inc.Senior Associate Director, Cost Management1$133,723

Recent sample filings

A snapshot of recent certified offers. Each line is a real, public, verifiable record.

  • Senior Construction Cost Estimator at Crusoe Energy Systems, Inc.
    $188,000
    San FranciscoWage Level IVDecided Sep 17, 2025I-200-25253-300280
  • Construction Project Cost Estimator at Bloom Energy Corporation
    $190,000
    San JoseWage Level IVDecided Aug 19, 2025I-200-25224-238164
  • Sr. Consultant, Estimation at Turner & Townsend, Inc.
    $147,000
    San FranciscoWage Level IVDecided Aug 15, 2025I-200-25220-230150
  • Sr. Cost Engineer at E2 Consulting Engineers, Inc.
    $170,560
    Los AngelesWage Level IVDecided Aug 11, 2025I-200-25216-218831
  • Senior Scheduler at Cumming Management Group, Inc.
    $150,000
    San FranciscoWage Level IVDecided Aug 8, 2025I-200-25213-215657
  • Director, Cost Management at Cumming Management Group, Inc.
    $190,873
    Los AngelesWage Level IVDecided Jul 30, 2025I-200-25204-195805
  • Associate Principal at Rider Levett Bucknall Ltd.
    $173,000
    San FranciscoWage Level IVDecided Jul 29, 2025I-203-25203-193022
  • Sr. Consultant, Estimation at Turner & Townsend, Inc.
    $149,000
    San FranciscoWage Level IVDecided Jul 25, 2025I-200-25199-184665

Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification. Disclosed wages reflect what employers attested to pay; actual paid wages may differ. Only certified filings are shown — denied and withdrawn cases are excluded.